The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has significantly increased its use of lie detectors on employees since the appointment of Kash Patel as Director General.
Criticism has arisen that, in particular, they are effectively conducting a 'loyalty test' by directly asking some senior employees whether they have ever criticized Director General Patel.
On the 10th (local time), The New York Times (NYT) reported, citing multiple sources familiar with the matter, that the FBI is interrogating senior employees to determine if they have made negative remarks about Director General Patel through interviews or lie detector tests.
Citing an anonymous source from NYT, it was reported that "after news leaked that Director General Patel 'unusually requested a service firearm despite not being an agent,' lie detector tests were forcibly administered to dozens of employees to identify the source of the leak."
It is not uncommon for the FBI to use lie detectors to sift through employees suspected of national betrayal or leaking classified information. However, officials pointed out that since the appointment of Director General Patel, the use of lie detectors has become very frequent and aggressive. There are also reports that the FBI has called back employees on leave to conduct lie detector tests.
Current and former FBI officials criticized these measures as political and highly inappropriate. The concern is that enforcing loyalty to the Director General could foster an environment that does not tolerate dissent.
Concerns are growing that criticizing Director General Patel or Deputy Director Dan Bonjino could lead to job loss, contributing to increased distrust among colleagues. Some employees are reportedly suspicious that there are factions within the agency engaged in 'snitching.'
James Davidson, a former agent who worked at the FBI for 23 years, criticized, saying, "The loyalty of an FBI agent is to the Constitution, not to the Director General or Deputy Director."