Fear, polygraphs, and loyalty tests: Inside Kash Patel’s controversial FBI overhaul

The FBI is undergoing a sweeping and controversial transformation under its new director, Kash Patel, appointed by President Donald Trump. According to a detailed report by The New York Times, Patel has forced out senior officials, ramped up the use of polygraph tests, and centralised control in an apparent effort to realign the bureau with the Trump administration’s political agenda.

Behind closed doors, Patel’s aggressive shake-up is “quietly taking shape,” with insiders describing a climate of fear and retaliation. “The FBI has become so thoroughly compromised that it will remain a threat to the people unless drastic measures are taken,” Patel wrote in his book Government Gangsters, laying out his vision to dismantle and rebuild the agency’s leadership structure.

Senior agents ousted or demoted

Multiple senior officials, including seasoned women agents leading field offices, have been given ultimatums: accept a demotion, relocate to less influential roles, or retire. In Los Angeles, a senior agent in charge of intelligence was reassigned to a low-profile post in Huntsville, Alabama. Similar incidents were reported in San Diego, St. Louis, Jacksonville, and Washington, per interviews with nearly a dozen current and former law enforcement officials.

Rise of political appointees and “reform teams”

Dan Bongino, Patel’s deputy and former right-wing media host, stated on social media: “The director and I will have most of our incoming reform teams in place by next week… This will help us both in doubling down on our reform agenda.”

The new leadership team is reportedly revisiting politically charged cases, including the 2022 Supreme Court leak, the discovery of cocaine at the White House, and pipe bombs near the Capitol on January 6. Bongino controversially referred to the latter as a case of “public corruption” rather than domestic terrorism, echoing past podcast claims that the FBI was “covering up” the incident.

Fears of retaliation and censorship

Agents have been put on administrative leave, often without explanation, as per the news report. Two officials connected to the Hunter Biden laptop case were reportedly sidelined — one of whom had previously been disciplined for his handling of the Trump-Russia investigation.

A lawyer in charge of human resources was, as per the report, removed while on medical leave, while a senior official was reportedly forced out after Patel discovered his wife had kneeled in a 2020 protest against police violence — despite the official passing a polygraph and leaving with an unblemished record.

Aggressive use of polygraphs to stop leaks

Patel’s FBI has increasingly relied on polygraphs to identify potential leakers — even for issues unrelated to classified information or open cases.

“I never used them to suss out gossip,” said Jim Stern, a former FBI agent who conducted hundreds of polygraphs. “If an agent who legitimately talked to the news media in a previous role had to take one, that’s going to be an issue.”

Sources told The New York Times that executives are being polygraphed “at a rapid rate.” A May incident involved a senior official forced out partly due to a political act by his spouse, raising concerns over loyalty tests within the bureau.

Despite the turmoil, Patel reportedly insists the agency is stable: “We’ve been able to retain significant levels of senior leadership both in Washington and throughout the country,” he told senators during a recent budget hearing.