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Agents have shared a scathing assessment on Patel’s first six months in office, after the president denied claims he is thinking of replacing him
Rhian Lubinin New YorkMonday 01 December 2025 12:49 GMTComments
CloseKash Patel's behavior as FBI director have earned him a new nickname, according to former special agent
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The FBI is a “rudderless ship” under director Kash Patel, who was described as being “in over his head” in a damning assessment by active-duty and retired agents.
Days after President Donald Trump denied reports he was considering ousting Patel from his post as FBI director, a group of 24 experienced agents has shared a scathing report detailing their thoughts on his first six months in office, due to be presented to the House and Senate Judiciary Committees later this week.
The report, obtained by the New York Post, comes after Patel has faced the heat for his use of government aircraft for multiple personal trips, assigning a SWAT team to protect his girlfriend, and reported clashes with senior Trump administration officials.
The White House denied media reports that Patel was “on thin ice,” but the withering report by FBI insiders revealed a “troubling picture of a chronically underperforming agency debilitated by low confidence in FBI Leadership based on a lack of prior experience.”
One agent referred to the FBI’s leadership as the “Kash-Bongino circus,” while another criticized Patel for “paralyzing leadership at all levels.”
open image in galleryThe FBI is a ‘rudderless ship’ under Kash Patel, who was described as being ‘in over his head’ in a damning assessment by active-duty and retired agents (Getty Images)The Independent has contacted the FBI for comment.
Unnamed special agents, some of whom have been at the bureau for multiple decades, reported that Patel “has neither the breadth of experience nor the bearing an FBI director needs to be successful,” while his deputy, Dan Bongino, was described as “something of a clown.”
Patel has not yet responded to the claims in the report but Bongino dismissed them as “gossipy nonsense” in a post on X Monday morning.
“A LOT of people are very upset at the changes and reforms we’ve made at the FBI,” Bongino said. “They will do anything to revert to the old ways of doing things. So they leak gossipy nonsense to media outlets and “journalists” with a clear agenda, and they ignore the historic results and the significant reforms we instituted.”
A special agent of more than 20 years, who went by ALPHA 52 in the report, also blasted Attorney General Pam Bondi and the FBI over the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files.
The Justice Department and the FBI released a joint memo in July that effectively drew a line under the investigation and said no further documents in the case would be released.
open image in galleryThe withering report into the leadership of Patel and deputy director Dan Bongino revealed a ‘troubling picture of a chronically underperforming agency’ (Getty Images)While the agent did not specifically refer to the memo in the report, they said that Bondi and the FBI “badly handled” the release of the files, which caused “significant” reputational damage to the agency as a “direct result.”
Some special agents were also pulled off other case work for one week to redact documents related to the Epstein case, according to the report, only for Trump and Bondi to pull the plug on releasing the files.
Another source in the report said that Patel was “very personable and likeable,” but also said that he “has created a culture of mistrust and uncertainty among the ranks.”
Patel was called out in the report for his tendency to give “premature public remarks” during active investigations, including during the aftermath of the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
One agent also shared an anecdote from when Patel touched down in Provo, Utah, following the fatal shooting of the conservative influencer and reportedly “refused” to disembark the plane because he did not have his own FBI raid jacket with him.
open image in galleryAttorney general Pam Bondi has also come in for criticism in the report (Getty)“FBI Director Kash Patel refused to step down from the plane without wearing one,” the report said. “ALPHA 99 went on to say many FBI Special Agents were busy working in the aftermath of the assassination of Charle Kirk and that FBI personnel had to (stop and) ask around to find an FBI raid jacket – a medium sized one – that would fit FBI Director Kash Patel.”
FBI personnel “eventually” found Patel a jacket belonging to a female special agent, but the director noticed two areas did not have velcro patches attached, according to the agent.
“ALPHA 99 said FBI Director Kash Patel then reportedly said he would not leave the aircraft until he had two patches to cover those areas.”
After two members of an FBI SWAT team took patches off their own uniforms and “ran” them over to Patel, he disembarked the aircraft, the report claims.
White House officials have denied reports that Patel will be fired from his post after MSNOW reported that co-deputy FBI Director Andrew Bailey was being eyed as his replacement.
“This story is completely made up,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a post on X. “I read the headline to the President and he laughed. He said: ‘What? That’s totally false.
“Come on Kash, let’s take a picture to show them you’re doing a great job!’” Leavitt wrote, attaching a photo of the pair smiling and giving a thumbs up.
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