Overview

• By early June the bureau had ordered hundreds of loyalty screenings, and since then dozens of senior staff have undergone polygraphs probing criticism of Patel and internal leaks.
• In one case, agents were tested to determine who disclosed Patel’s unusual request for a service weapon despite not being a special agent.
• Insiders say the lie-detector sessions include pointed questions about whether employees ever made disparaging remarks about the director.
• Former FBI agent James Davidson argued that the tests misplace employees’ loyalty, which he said belongs to the Constitution rather than to agency leadership.
• Patel’s approach mirrors Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s extensive polygraph regime, which drove several staff resignations over its heavy-handed enforcement.