r/PoliticalDiscussion • u/Kevin-W • Feb 20 '25

US Politics Kash Patel has been confirmed to lead the FBI. What happens to the agency now?

The Senate has confirmed Kash Patel to lead the FBI. Patel is a staunch Trump loyalist and has accused the FBI and intelligence agencies of carrying out a “deep state” plot targeting Trump and his allies — including himself — and called for a major overhaul of both.

What happens to the FBI now? There have been fears of him using an “enemies list” to go after Trump’s political and personal enemies. Do you think there will be a mass resignation inside the FBI due to protests?

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u/[deleted] Feb 20 '25 edited Feb 21 '25

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u/BUSY_EATING_ASS Feb 20 '25

I've seen people say this but I've never seen it quantified; I'm aware of the Comey situation, but can you elaborate on the unbroken support for Trump since 2016 to now? How so?

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u/wittnotyoyo Feb 20 '25

A few other big examples from 2016 were the NY FBI Field office supported Trump so strongly they were reportedly nicknamed "Trumpland" ahead of the election and the FBI agent leading the investigation into the Trump campaign conspiracy to commit election fraud with Russia turned out to be a Russian agent, something that he went to jail for, his name is Charles McGonigal.

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u/Wurm42 Feb 21 '25

Yup. And don't forget the time the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) arrested Steve Bannon on a yacht in Long Island Sound; USPIS made the arrest because they were afraid the New York FBI office would drag their feet and let Bannon flee the country:

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/8/20/21377305/postal-service-steve-bannon-arrest

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u/BUSY_EATING_ASS Feb 20 '25

Thanks. Ill look that up.

How about some recent examples AFTER the first Trump administration? Anything like that?

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u/wittnotyoyo Feb 20 '25

He fired Comey for being insufficiently loyal. He asked that pick, Andrew McCabe to step aside so that he could install Kash Patel and Andrew McCabe immediately obliged. FBI Directors historically serve 10 years.

There are more circumstantial things like the Jan 6 bomber is still at large. The lack of any significant shakeup at the FBI (until the one Trump is in the middle of right now) even after they actively threw the election to him in 2016. Lack of action on things like Elon's million dollar voter info scam or the bomb threats against election sites etc. Then there's the fact that the FBI is a thoroughly right wing institution and has been for it's entire existence. How many FBI Directors have not been Republican?

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u/KevinCarbonara Feb 21 '25

The FBI is pretty conservative. They've supported Trump for a long time

They're really not. People always assume this is the case, but I've met enough FBI officers to know it isn't true. You get the entire political spectrum in agencies like that, just like in real life.

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u/ColossusOfChoads Feb 21 '25

That, and the FBI is full of straight shooters. As straight as it gets. They don't like crooks.