Inside Kash Patel’s FBI: Loyalty Tests, Polygraphs, and the Politics of Fear

Since taking charge as FBI director, Kash Patel has sharply expanded the use of polygraph tests, transforming them from a security tool into a loyalty filter. 

According to a report by The New York Times, the lie detector is now used not just to identify leaks but to assess internal dissent—down to whether agents have criticized Patel himself.

Image Source: KashPatelNewsX

Current and former FBI officials describe the practice as unprecedented. What once ensured national security is now being weaponized to root out disloyalty. 

“An FBI employee’s loyalty is to the Constitution, not to the director,” said former agent James Davidson. “It says everything about Patel’s weak constitution that this is even on his radar.”

Polygraphs have reportedly been used to trace leaks related to Patel’s controversial request for a service weapon, despite him not being a sworn agent. Though the FBI declined comment, citing personnel privacy, insiders say dozens of agents have been tested in recent months.

This hardline tactic reflects a wider purge within the bureau. Nearly 40% of FBI field offices have seen leadership changes under Patel, with senior agents pushed out or reassigned. Some were sidelined over past involvement in investigations deemed politically hostile by the current leadership.

Deputy Director Dan Bongino has publicly acknowledged a sweeping “enterprise-wide reorganization,” which former officials say prioritizes ideological loyalty over experience. Notably, respected intelligence veteran Tonya Ugoretz was removed after questioning an election interference report.

The climate of fear is spreading. Even agents with tangential links to Patel’s perceived enemies report being pressured into polygraphs. Michael Feinberg, a former FBI leader in Norfolk, says he was targeted for his friendship with Peter Strzok—an ex-agent central to the 2016 Trump-Russia probe.

“I was told I’d have to beg, grovel, and pledge loyalty just to stay,” Feinberg said in his resignation letter, describing a cultural purge led by Patel and Bongino.

Critics warn the FBI is morphing under Trump’s second-term appointees—from an institution of law to an instrument of loyalty.