FBI Director Kash Patel is facing new scrutiny after a report alleged that he approved a significant deviation from standard vetting procedures for top leadership at the bureau.
A ProPublica investigation found that Patel signed waivers allowing Deputy Director Dan Bongino and two other senior hires to bypass the required polygraph exams.
Sources told the outlet the move gave Bongino access to some of the most sensitive intelligence in the government without completing the agency’s normal security process.
“The FBI follows all laws and procedures on personnel security measures, and any implication otherwise is false,” FBI spokesman Ben Williamson said in response to the report.
Williamson also said the article “misrepresents polygraph protocol” and “inaccurately portrays FBI security measures,” adding that it includes “false claims about FBI employees who have done nothing wrong.”
He argued that the three officials at the center of the report were “not required” to take polygraph tests because their roles are political appointments, per the Daily Mail.
Critics argue that the claim contradicts the bureau’s own eligibility requirements.
Those guidelines state that anyone working at the FBI must receive a top secret clearance and that the “preliminary employment requirements include a polygraph examination.”
Four individuals familiar with the lie detector program told ProPublica that the situation was “unprecedented,” saying they had never seen a deputy director reach that level without undergoing a polygraph.
Bongino had never worked at the FBI before his appointment, although he had served with the NYPD and later the Secret Service. As deputy director, he helps oversee daily operations, field office coordination, and access to the President’s Daily Brief.
The president’s Daily Brief contains intelligence from agencies, including the CIA and NSA, raising concerns among insiders about the risks of waiving standard vetting procedures.
Bongino has long been vocal about his distrust of the Department of Justice.
“Trust absolutely nothing emanating from the DOJ or FBI that even remotely whiffs of politics,” he wrote on X in September 2024.
He also said on his podcast that court orders interrupting the president’s federal spending should be “ignored,” drawing criticism from legal analysts.
The report noted that Attorney General Pam Bondi confronted Bongino earlier this year over leaked information, accusing him of being behind several high-profile disclosures. The allegations were never formally confirmed.
In August, former Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey joined the bureau as co-deputy director following an appointment by President Donald Trump. That move fueled speculation that Bongino’s influence inside the agency may be changing.
Despite the internal debate, Bongino remains in the role and continues to assist in running the bureau under Patel’s leadership.
The controversy has sparked questions across Washington about security standards and the consistency of FBI hiring practices, with critics demanding a more straightforward explanation for why senior officials were allowed to skip long-standing protocols.
