Trump’s Takeover of the FBI is Complete
With Kash Patel in charge, the FBI is now a political weapon. The question isn’t if it will be abused, but how much damage he will do before the country wakes up.
In a now-viral image, a maintenance worker paints over the FBI’s core values mural—Accountability. Respect. Leadership. Compassion. Integrity. Fairness. This isn’t just about “wokeness”; to Trump and his allies, these values had come to symbolize diversity, equity, and inclusion—concepts they frame as threats.
But this isn’t about the meaning of words. It’s about control. The idea that law enforcement should be bound by principles at all is what they are erasing.
For years, Kash Patel telegraphed exactly what he would do if given control of federal law enforcement. His 2023 book, Government Gangsters, read like a hit list, identifying dozens of officials he called "unelected tyrants" and part of a "deep state cabal." On Steve Bannon’s War Room podcast, Patel threatened journalists, political figures, and government officials, stating:
"We will go out and find the conspirators—not just in government, but in the media... We're going to come after you. Whether it's criminally or civilly, we'll figure that out."
His rhetoric wasn’t bluster—it was a warning. Patel saw the FBI not as an independent institution but as a tool for enforcing loyalty. In numerous interviews, he attacked law enforcement officials who had investigated Trump, calling them "criminal gangsters." Now, he has the power to act on that belief.
His confirmation as FBI Director was never about qualifications. He has no experience leading law enforcement, yet Trump and his allies ensured his placement. This was not a routine appointment—it was the culmination of a years-long effort by Trump and his allies to turn the FBI into the political weapon they always accused it of being.
The Power at Play
His actions prove that this was not just rhetoric. Even before his confirmation, Patel was already orchestrating a purge within the FBI. Whistleblower reports indicate that he was personally overseeing the removal of career officials involved in Trump-related investigations, particularly those connected to:
The January 6th Capitol attack inquiry
The classified documents case at Mar-a-Lago
The 2016 Russia investigation
Patel has made no secret of his belief that law enforcement should be used to punish Trump’s enemies and protect his allies. In numerous media appearances, he has called for the prosecution of President Biden, Vice President Harris, Hillary Clinton, and former FBI Director Christopher Wray, stating:
"These people need to go to prison."
The message is clear: Patel isn’t leading an agency. He is enforcing loyalty. Career law enforcement officers—however flawed—once answered to the law. Now, survival at the FBI seems to depend on one’s willingness to serve Trump.
Under Patel, the FBI will not function as an independent agency. It is being remade into a political security force, serving Trump’s interests while dismantling any mechanisms that could hold the administration accountable. The removal of career officials isn’t just about eliminating dissent—it is about erasing institutional memory, ensuring that the FBI no longer retains the knowledge, expertise, or personnel necessary to investigate corruption at the highest levels.
This is how power is systematically transferred from professional civil servants to political operatives. Patel's role for Trump likely has a single function: to insulate Trump’s allies from accountability while manufacturing cases against his enemies. With Patel at the helm, the FBI will no longer just be a law enforcement agency. He seeks to turn it into a political enforcer, repurposed not to uphold justice but to execute retribution.
Trump’s first term was characterized by institutional resistance—whistleblowers, investigations, and officials refusing to carry out unlawful orders. His second term is about ensuring that never happens again.
A Lens of Justice
The FBI’s looming transformation under Patel is not just a political crisis—it is a direct threat to the communities that have long been over-policed while violent extremism has been ignored. Trump has already used federal law enforcement to crush dissent—Patel’s FBI will likely take it further. Protesters, journalists, and immigration activists have long been targets, but Patel’s leadership signals a new era: one where the FBI no longer investigates white nationalist threats but ignores, or worse, shields them.
Patel’s history of inflammatory statements, his ties to conspiracy theorists, and his weaponized “law and order” rhetoric make clear where this is headed. Federal law enforcement is being reoriented away from protecting vulnerable communities and toward punishing political enemies. The FBI will increasingly be used to target dissent, while right-wing extremist groups operate with even greater impunity.
This shift will also be felt inside the agency itself. Patel’s FBI isn’t just about silencing Trump’s enemies—it’s about reshaping law enforcement to ignore right-wing threats entirely. Agents who built careers investigating hate groups and civil rights violations will be purged, reassigned, or forced out. Federal power will no longer be used to protect those at risk but to shield themselves from those who threaten them.
Kash’s message is clear: justice is no longer the FBI’s mission—loyalty is.
Reframing the Debate
Republicans will frame Patel’s leadership as a “correction” to an allegedly biased FBI, claiming the agency unfairly targeted conservatives. But if that were true, why is Patel’s first priority shielding Trump’s allies and purging those who investigated him? The very people who once accused the FBI of being a political weapon are now using it as one.
This is not just institutional partisanship—it is law enforcement being reshaped to serve an explicitly political agenda. Conservatives spent years attacking the FBI as biased, but their problem was never with political influence in law enforcement—it was that the bias wasn’t working in their favor. Patel’s appointment is about ensuring that it does.
This is not a debate about institutional independence. The question is simple: What does it mean when the country’s top law enforcement agency is no longer loyal to the rule of law, but to a single leader? If law enforcement is controlled by political power rather than legal principles, it ceases to be law enforcement at all.
Progressives must make this clear: Patel’s FBI is not about restoring fairness—it is about imposing control. His leadership means law enforcement could be used to punish political enemies, crack down on dissent, and embolden far-right extremism by shifting investigative priorities away from white nationalist violence.
The Counterpoint Trap
These are not theoretical risks. They are happening right now. The only way to fight back is to expose the reality of the agenda, challenge its legitimacy, and refuse to allow law enforcement to become a tool of authoritarian power.
“Patel is just cleaning up the FBI” → Motte-and-Bailey Tactic
Patel’s defenders claim he is reforming the FBI to remove bias and restore integrity. But when pressed on his purges and political appointments, they retreat to softer claims about improving efficiency. The goalposts shift between radical restructuring and routine management, depending on the audience.“Democrats did the same thing” → False Equivalence
Investigations into Trump were based on credible evidence, not political retaliation. Patel’s FBI, by contrast, is actively shielding allies and targeting enemies. These are not the same.“The FBI has always been political” → Whataboutism
Pointing to past abuses of power does not justify further corruption. Instead of addressing concerns about Patel’s weaponization of the agency, defenders deflect by saying the FBI was already flawed—without acknowledging that Patel is making it worse, not better.“The FBI was already a partisan tool for Democrats” → Projection
Trump’s allies accused the FBI of being politically compromised while working to ensure it only serves their interests. Their criticism was never about fairness—it was about control. By making false claims about past partisanship, they justify their own abuses.
The Last Laugh
The maintenance worker covering the FBI’s core values mural didn’t need to take down the words one by one. He painted over them all at once, erasing them in a few quick strokes. Patel’s appointment could do the same to the institution itself.
Either Patel was lying when he spent years accusing the FBI of being a political weapon, or he simply meant it wasn’t working for him. Now, it is.
By the time the country fully understands what has happened, it may be too late to undo it. Call your representatives. Support investigative journalists. Protect whistleblowers. This is not just a political shift—it’s a crisis. The time to act is now.