Are Kash Patel and Dan Bongino preparing to leave the FBI? Conflicting reports explored as Andrew Bailey's name is floated as a replacement

According to Salon, several reports suggesting that Dan Bongino and Kash Patel might leave the FBI have surfaced. The news about Kash leaving the FBI popped up amid the recent Brown University shooting that killed two students. Meanwhile, several staff members made similar claims about deputy director Dan Bongino as well.

Insiders further told the news website that there has been rising pressure within the FBI against Kash. According to Salon, the White House said that Trump "wouldn't be all that upset" if Kash Patel left the federal agency. Many even claimed that Bongino's office has been empty for "close to two weeks," indicating that he might already have left. One staff member even said,

"Nobody here will miss him. He has no credibility."

Some FBI sources spoke to Salon and shared insights into who might take up the position in case Kash left. According to the sources, Andrew Bailey's name has been floating as his replacement. Bailey is currently the co-deputy director of the FBI and has been holding the position since September of this year. He also served in the position of Missouri Attorney General from January 2023 to September 2025.

Despite the speculations about the exit of Dan Bongino and Kash Patel, no official announcements have been made as of now. Thus, the claims are mostly based on the statements reportedly given by the staff members within the agency.

The FBI is currently "in shambles," according to sources, amid the claims about Kash Patel and Dan Bongino's exit 

The report by Salon suggested that about three separate sources stated that the federal agency is currently "in shambles." According to a 30-year veteran, morale within the FBI is at an "all-time low" at the moment. The veteran further cited the issue to exist at the top of the agency. The article further suggested that Andrew Bailey has become a preferred choice for MAGA insiders.

He reportedly also has been backed by Josh Hawley, a senior United States senator from Missouri, who has been in the position since 2019. While Andrew Bailey apparently has been preferred by Republicans, the Democrats expressed a different point of view with his association with the FBI in the first place.

When Bailey became the co-deputy director of the FBI a few months back, Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois told NBC News,

"President Trump is appointing a partisan politician. Mr. Bailey is another Trump loyalist who has continuously peddled the 'Big Lie' that the 2020 election was stolen."

Durbin even accused the president of "weaponizing" the FBI and continued,

"This appointment further proves President Trump will stop at nothing to politicize and weaponize the federal government’s most prestigious and powerful law-enforcement agency to protect his allies and punish his critics."

While some serious claims have been made in the article by Salon, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson denied any upcoming changes in the federal agency. Jackson even added that there was no truth in anything published by the article. She further stated that Donald Trump "has full confidence in his entire law enforcement and justice team."