FBI Director Kash Patel Under Fire as FBI Hits a New Low

Within the imposing concrete walls of the J. Edgar Hoover Building in downtown Washington, some of the FBI’s most seasoned agents are reportedly frozen by fear.

Rather than pursuing major cybersecurity, counterintelligence or other high-profile investigations, some employees are spending their days completing routine internal training courses—the kind of mandatory desk work many office workers try to avoid.

In the natural world, the tactic is known as “playing possum.” Current and former FBI personnel say a similar strategy has emerged inside the bureau, where keeping a low profile is viewed by some as the safest way to survive under Director Kash Patel.

“I’ve had people say, ‘I just go in and sit at my desk and don’t do anything… basically responding to emails, taking the virtual academy classes, and staying out of trouble,’” one former agent told the Daily Mail. The goal, the source said, is simply to avoid being fired.

Other agents described a similar atmosphere to the Daily Mail, speaking anonymously because they feared possible retaliation.

Some employees have reportedly scaled back their substantive investigative work because they fear being dismissed for handling cases that later come under scrutiny from the Trump administration.

“You can’t work under a culture of fear,” one agent said.

The sudden resignation of FBI Deputy Director Andrew Bailey last month shocked many in Washington. But insiders say his departure points to a broader crisis inside the bureau—one marked by the loss of institutional experience and anxiety over possible retaliation.

The Daily Mail interviewed five current and former FBI agents familiar with conditions inside the bureau.

“I would say morale has never been this bad ever” at the FBI, one former agent said.

“They are leading with intimidation,” a second agent said of Patel and senior officials. “And honestly, I think a lot of the culture has shifted towards, ‘What will make the director happy,’ instead of what is actually best for the division and the mission.”

Another person familiar with FBI operations said the bureau “is in bad shape,” arguing that it has been “hollowed out” by the departure of experienced personnel from headquarters and its 56 field offices.

According to a lawsuit filed by former acting FBI Director Brian Driscoll, all six executive assistant directors were fired or pressured to resign or retire soon after President Donald Trump returned to office. Other officials reportedly left voluntarily.

“The people that don’t want to work for this organization anymore are leaving,” one source said.

The bureau has also demoted, reassigned or removed several special agents in charge. Those moves have drawn concern from Senate Democrats and the FBI Agents Association, or FBIAA, a voluntary professional group representing more than 14,000 current and retired FBI special agents.

The FBIAA said it was “deeply concerned by reports that FBI Special Agents – case agents and senior leaders alike – are going to be summarily fired without due process for doing their jobs investigating potential federal crimes,” according to a statement issued last August.

“Agents are not given the option to pick and choose their cases, and these agents carried out their assignments with professionalism and integrity. Most importantly, they followed the law,” the association’s spokesperson added.

One agent estimated that developing genuine expertise in a specialized area of federal investigations takes about 15 years. Among those now leaving, the source said, are experienced mentors who traditionally train younger agents and guide them through complex cases.

Those who remain are questioning who replaces them. Several sources cited the FBI’s decision to drop automatic disqualification for applicants with past involvement in prostitution or bestiality as particularly concerning.

The bestiality issue ’caused a lot of people to lose confidence’ in the judgment of FBI leadership, one FBI agent said.

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‘People are asking, “What exactly are we trying to build here?” they added. ‘Are we trying to maintain an organization with a certain level of expertise, standards, and professionalism, or are we simply trying to fill seats?’

Leadership has also left its own people in the dark. Last month, the FBI told current and former staff that hackers – allegedly the group ShinyHunters – had stolen their names, addresses, job titles and Social Security numbers.

But in the weeks since, those impacted by the breach have heard ‘zilch,’ one person said. There’s been no further help or indication on how the bureau is fixing vulnerabilities. 

Patel – who previously sparked widespread outrage after footage emerged of him partying in the locker room with the US men’s hockey team after their Olympics win – is seen by some inside the FBI as appearing to be out of touch, image-obsessed and ill-equipped for the job. Some expressed sympathy for a director they believe is poorly advised and inexperienced in day-to-day operations.

Patel ‘insists’ on disproportionate credit for FBI ‘wins,’ one former agent said. Others said he wants to ‘look and behave’ like an agent – wearing the badge, touting statistics – while remaining disconnected from nearly all of them.

The FBI did not respond to the Daily Mail’s request for comment. A spokesperson for Director Patel did not respond to a separate request for comment. 

A spokesperson for the White House disputed suggestions that Trump’s FBI director has struggled to adjust to the role, telling the Daily Mail that Patel ‘is doing a fantastic job helping keep the Homeland safe, combatting terrorism, and investigating crimes.’

‘Thanks to President Trump and Director Patel, the FBI helped delivered the largest decrease in violent crime in American history and safer communities for Americans,’ White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis said.

Others familiar with Patel’s leadership touted the 9.3 percent drop in violent crime in the US during 2025 – the largest annual decline on record, as well as major decreases in other areas.

But Patel’s appetite for credit and chest-thumping adulation has burned other agencies. 

Patel boasted on social media of foiling an alleged attack plot at this summer’s White House UFC event before all the suspects were arrested and while the case was under seal.   

The Secret Service, which said it had run the probe ‘from the beginning,’ was furious. ‘We all woke up this morning to see this on Twitter,’ one official told MS NOW.

Last year he announced that a potential suspect in Charlie Kirk’s assassination was in custody, only for the individual to be cleared hours later.

Then there’s his alleged use of the FBI plane for personal purposes, and his alleged use of taxpayer-funded helicopter tours and jet ski excursions with his now-fiancée Alexis Wilkins, which prompted concerns from Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee earlier this year. 

Patel bitterly denied allegations that he has inappropriately used FBI resources at an oversight hearing last month. ‘Total lie,’ he told Democrats when pressed on the allegations. 

Patel has pushed back on the notion that the FBI ‘purged’ agents who investigated the January 6 US Capitol riot or other politically sensitive probes – most recently, in a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee last month.

The FBI Agents’ Association has warned the firings risk ‘severely weaken[ing] the Bureau’s ability to protect the country from national security and criminal threats.’ 

More than a dozen agents who worked on politically sensitive probes have sued for alleged wrongful termination, and have since amended their lawsuit to represent a broader class of more than 50 former agents. 

The former agents are seeking reinstatement to their roles, as well as back pay and formal declaration that their removals violated due process.

Both the former agents and lawyers for the Trump administration will appear in federal court later this month for a motions hearing on the matter.

Regardless of the outcome, however, the agents who spoke to the Daily Mail said they believe that restoring the bureau’s reputation will take many years. 

One agent said: ‘I don’t think the leadership [in place] has the necessary character to do it right.’