A leaked assessment based on confidential accounts from 24 FBI sources describes the organisation as a 'rudderless ship' under Director Kash Patel, who is accused of being 'in over his head' and leading a 'chronically under-performing' agency paralysed by fear and plummeting morale. The 115-page report, compiled by a national alliance of retired and active-duty FBI special agents and analysts, was obtained by the New York Post and prepared for congressional judiciary committees.
Sources accuse Patel of lacking the experience to lead the FBI, with managers unwilling to take initiative without explicit direction for fear of being fired. One source stated he 'lacks the requisite knowledge or deep understanding of all the FBI’s unique and complex investigative and intelligence programs'. The report claims the FBI has become 'internally paralysed by fear', with managers 'afraid of losing their jobs' and 'waiting on directions from the FBI director'.
The paralysis stems partly from Patel's pre-nomination rhetoric, when he publicly accused the FBI of being part of a 'deep state' conspiracy against Donald Trump and called for its radical overhaul. He advocated for shutting down the FBI’s Washington headquarters and dispersing employees across the country, and accused the bureau of political weaponisation during investigations into Trump.
In response, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said: 'President Trump has assembled the most talented and impressive administration in history and they are doing an excellent job carrying out the President’s agenda. FBI Director Patel is a critical member of the President’s team and he is working tirelessly to restore integrity to the FBI.'
The assessment comes amid ongoing controversies, including Patel's refusal to release Jeffrey Epstein files, a premature arrest announcement in the Kirk investigation that had to be retracted, and allegations of misusing Swat personnel to protect his girlfriend and using government aircraft for personal travel. One incident described in the report details Patel's refusal to leave an FBI jet on 11 September without an appropriate raid jacket, causing agents to stop work to find one; he then complained about missing Velcro patches and refused to disembark until Swat team members removed patches from their own uniforms.
Deputy Director Dan Bongino, who lacks traditional FBI experience and was granted a Patel-authorized waiver exempting him from standard polygraph screening, is described by one source as 'something of a clown'. Both Patel and Bongino face criticism for an excessive focus on social media, with employees reporting hearing more about the bureau’s mission from leadership’s social media posts than through official internal channels.
