‘All f–ked up’: Top Trump Official Faces Sharp Internal Backlash in New Report

The FBI Director Kash Patel is under fire from inside, according to a recently released internal review of his first six months in office. The memo provided with congressional leaders describes low morale, confusion, and significant unhappiness with the bureau’s direction from retired and active FBI agents and analysts.

A temperature check of Patel’s early term was the report’s purpose this month. The findings raise major concerns, not optimism or cautious support. Several sources in the assessment call the FBI a “rudderless ship,” while another calls it “all f–ked up.” Insiders blame Patel’s lack of federal law enforcement experience and trouble adapting to the post.

The letter states that FBI agents believe Patel is “in over his head” and lacks the professional experience of a bureau director. One veteran source said Patel “has neither the breadth of experience nor the bearing an FBI Director needs,” citing his handling of the Charlie Kirk assassination investigation and his performance in a Senate hearing earlier this year.

Deputy Director Dan Bongino was also slammed. A report contributor called him “something of a clown,” accusing him of not understanding the bureau’s operations. Some agency employees believe Patel and Bongino overuse social media to deliver official messages, causing uncertainty. The assessment found that employees “rarely hear directly from them in a transparent manner,” therefore many learn about internal choices from news outlets or online posts.

Internal partisanship, leadership distrust, and bureau support for immigration enforcement are among the report’s 10 main concerns. Some longtime FBI agents say the agency has strayed from its mission and is now plagued by fear, infighting, and political pressure. One source called “Trump Derangement Syndrome” “alive and well” in the FBI, according to the assessment.

Other participants welcomed the current administration’s pulling back of diversity, equity, and inclusion policies. The research states that some employees think the lessened focus has calmed the workplace, while others say it has deepened differences.

The evaluation authors contend that the FBI’s problems cannot be solved without transparency and a willingness to address profound cultural and operational flaws. The bureau has “its most daunting challenges to date,” and leadership should address them instead of ignoring them.

The Senate and House Judiciary Committees, chaired by Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, will study the November report. In the coming weeks, Congress will interrogate FBI leadership on the findings to better understand how the bureau is functioning amid this tense political transition.