Not even a year into Kash Patel’s tenure as FBI director, a blistering internal report has cracked open the tension simmering inside the bureau.
The 115-page document—pulled together by a network of current and former agents—paints a picture of an agency drifting, demoralized, and frustrated with a leader they say simply isn’t ready for the job.
According to the report, many of the very people who once championed Patel’s politics are now admitting privately that he’s struggling to keep control.
Some called the modern FBI under his watch “a rudderless ship.” Others were much less polite.
Early Controversies That Set the Tone
Patel’s rocky start began long before this document surfaced.
Barely six months into the role, he’d already caused waves for hopping on a government jet to visit his country-singer girlfriend, Alexis Wilkins—then raising eyebrows again when he assigned an FBI SWAT team to protect her at a public event.
That alone left many insiders baffled.
But the new report suggests those incidents were only the surface of a much deeper leadership problem.
A Tantrum on the Tarmac
One of the most striking anecdotes involves Patel’s reaction after conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was assassinated.
The report claims Patel flew into Provo, Utah on September 11 and refused to get off his plane because he didn’t have an FBI raid jacket on hand.
Local field agents were pulled off the active investigation so they could track down a medium-sized jacket for him—one that ultimately belonged to a female agent.
When Patel discovered the sleeves didn’t have Velcro patches, he allegedly became furious.
It wasn’t until SWAT agents ripped patches off their own uniforms and hand-delivered them that he finally stepped off the aircraft.
Even His Supporters Sound Uneasy
What makes the report especially notable is that many contributors openly described themselves as Trump supporters—yet even they admitted Patel “is not very good” at his job and may be insecure.
Patel, a loyalist who has long accused the FBI of harboring “Deep State” tendencies, made it to the director’s chair on a tight 51–49 confirmation vote.
His appointment followed a string of Trump-aligned nominees who advanced without bipartisan support.
Before reaching the FBI’s top job, Patel’s career cut across public defense, the DOJ, Capitol Hill, the NSC, and the Pentagon.
But insiders say none of that prepared him for a role this demanding.
Missteps After Kirk’s Assassination
Agents also pointed to Patel’s rush to get in front of cameras following Kirk’s death.
He announced—incorrectly—that a suspect was already in custody, only to retract the statement a short time later.
One longtime agent said Patel improperly took credit for work done by other agencies and broke with the bureau’s tradition of quiet professionalism.
Others said the director seemed more worried about public perception than investigative accuracy.
The Social-Media Obsession
The report didn’t spare Patel’s deputy, Dan Bongino, either.
Both men were criticized for spending too much time on social platforms, posting updates about internal matters before agents had been briefed through official channels.
Several contributors said Bongino, a former Secret Service agent and media personality, “should never have been considered” for such a critical role.
One anecdote describes him telling stunned agents that “the truth is for chumps.”
The Girlfriend Security Detail That Won’t Go Away
Patel’s handling of Wilkins’ security has become one of the biggest internal flashpoints.
The report confirms he assigned an entire SWAT team from the Atlanta field office to shadow her at the NRA conference in April—only to lash out at the team when they left early after deeming her safe.
Other field offices were ordered to provide additional protection at later events, even when agents had just finished grueling work on the Kirk case.
And the scrutiny hasn’t stopped there.
Patel also used a government aircraft for a golf trip in Scotland, requiring FBI teams to coordinate with British and Scottish officials and sending “ravens” to guard his plane.
A Curious Dinner Detour
On the night he incorrectly announced a suspect had been taken into custody, Patel wasn’t even in Utah.
Sources say he was in New York, dining at Rao’s, one of the city’s hardest-to-book restaurants.
That revelation hasn’t helped quiet critics.
What the Report Did Praise
Despite the scathing tone, the authors insisted the document wasn’t meant to destroy Patel’s reputation.
They did acknowledge one major shift they welcomed: the FBI under Patel has redirected focus toward case work and threat response, and away from the Biden-era DEI programming they strongly disliked.
But they noted that roughly 80% of the feedback they collected was negative.
The White House Isn’t Backing Down
For now, the administration is standing firmly behind Patel.
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told the Daily Mail that the FBI director “is restoring integrity to the FBI and doing an excellent job implementing the President’s agenda.”
No mention of Wilkins.
No mention of the jet.
No mention of the jackets or the patches.
So What Happens Next?
Patel’s future remains an open question.
He still has the support of the president, but the internal discontent revealed in this report isn’t the kind that goes away quietly.
Whether he stabilizes the ship—or watches the waves keep rising—now depends on how he responds to the growing chorus inside his own walls.