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Patel and Bongino Tout FBI Record on Podcast, Sidestep Epstein Files

The self-congratulatory interview highlights their use of a partisan platform to shape perceptions of the Bureau.

Overview

  • FBI Director Kash Patel joined former deputy Dan Bongino for a roughly 23-minute episode largely devoted to praising their tenure and President Trump.
  • Patel cited a 20% drop in the murder rate, a 32% rise in fentanyl seizures, six FBI Most Wanted arrests, and the redeployment of 1,000 agents from Washington, figures not independently corroborated in the coverage.
  • The pair did not address Jeffrey Epstein-related files despite audience interest and prior criticism of the Bureau’s handling of those records.
  • Patel said the FBI made progress under NSPM-7 by targeting funding behind violent protest activity and claimed sharp increases in arrests tied to violent crime and child exploitation.
  • Their messaging contrasts with a November memo from 24 active agents who called the Bureau under Patel and Bongino a “rudderless ship” preoccupied with self-promotion.