Latest updates - What Kash Patel and Dan Bongino are working on over at the FBI...

As of April 4, 2025, Kash Patel and Dan Bongino have been actively leading the FBI as Director and Deputy Director, respectively, since taking their positions earlier this year. Patel was sworn in on February 21, 2025, and Bongino joined him as Deputy Director shortly after, with his swearing-in occurring on March 17, 2025. Here’s a rundown of the latest updates based on available information:

Patel has been focused on restructuring the FBI to align with his vision of restoring public trust and emphasizing traditional law enforcement priorities. One of his early moves was to initiate a significant reorganization, including plans to relocate approximately 1,500 agents and staff from the FBI’s Washington, D.C., headquarters to field offices across the country and the FBI’s Huntsville, Alabama, campus. This decentralization effort, announced within his first week, aims to shift resources away from the capital and bolster field operations. However, this directive has faced pushback internally, with officials citing logistical challenges, such as insufficient funding and unanswered questions about relocation costs for employees.

Bongino, stepping into his role after ending his popular podcast on March 14, 2025, has pledged to eliminate political bias within the bureau and refocus its efforts on core missions like combating violent crime and drug trafficking. His public statements emphasize supporting “good cops” and restoring faith in the institution. On March 18, 2025, following his swearing-in, Bongino visited the FBI’s Wall of Honor to pay respects to fallen agents, signaling a commitment to the bureau’s legacy while pushing for operational changes.

Together, Patel and Bongino have tackled emerging threats, notably a recent wave of swatting incidents targeting conservative figures. Patel announced that the FBI is investigating these incidents, which began escalating after their appointments, suggesting an early test of their leadership. Posts on X also indicate that some supporters view their efforts as already yielding results, with claims of “bringing the reputation of the FBI back from the ash heap” and addressing “far-left domestic terrorists,” though specific cases remain unclear from public data.

Their tenure has not been without controversy. Critics highlight their lack of prior FBI experience—Patel with a background as a prosecutor and Trump aide, and Bongino as a former Secret Service agent turned commentator—and point to early missteps, like Patel’s March 15, 2025, announcement of a field office rearrangement that omitted 17 offices from the list, causing confusion. Additionally, tensions with career FBI officials persist, exacerbated by the Justice Department’s prior demands for names of agents involved in January 6 investigations, a move some see as a precursor to purges that Patel and Bongino might oversee.

Overall, Patel and Bongino are driving a rapid transformation of the FBI, focusing on decentralization, operational redirection, and addressing high-profile incidents, while navigating internal resistance and public scrutiny. Their actions reflect a blend of their outsider perspectives and loyalty to the Trump administration’s agenda, though concrete outcomes are still unfolding as they’ve been in office for just over a month (Patel) and a few weeks (Bongino). 17GEN4.com