FBI Agents Reportedly Subjected to Loyalty Tests Under Kash Patel’s Oversight
FBI Using Lie Detectors to Check Loyalty Under Kash Patel: NYT
The FBI has significantly expanded its use of polygraph tests under the leadership of Kash Patel, with some agents being questioned about their personal opinions of him, according to a report by The New York Times.
Citing multiple sources, the report alleges that polygraph exams—traditionally used for national security screenings—are now being employed to root out internal dissent. At least some senior personnel were asked whether they had spoken negatively about Director Patel, raising concerns about misuse of internal vetting mechanisms to suppress criticism.
Patel, a close ally of former President Donald Trump, was appointed FBI director following a wave of changes ushered in by Trump’s second administration. Alongside figures like Dan Bongino, he has played a key role in restructuring the agency, resulting in the removal, reassignment, or resignation of numerous top officials.
According to the NYT, nearly 40% of senior agents across the FBI’s field offices have left or been reassigned. Some of those who exited reportedly had links to past investigations targeting Trump or his associates—cases that have been politically sensitive.
One such agent, Michael Feinberg, formerly of the Norfolk office, said he was threatened with a polygraph test due to his previous association with Peter Strzok, the former FBI official involved in the Trump-Russia probe. Feinberg resigned before taking the test and later wrote in Lawfare that under Patel and Bongino, “subject matter expertise and operational competence are readily sacrificed for ideological purity.”
Critics argue that the trend represents a dangerous politicisation of the bureau. Former FBI agent James Davidson told the Times, “An FBI employee’s loyalty is to the Constitution, not to the director or deputy director. It says everything about Patel’s weak constitution that this is even on his radar.”
The FBI has not publicly commented on the report.
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