Former F.B.I. officials have established a group to assist bureau employees who are struggling with the Trump administration’s rapid efforts to reshape the agency. This group, known as the F.B.I. Support Network, emerges amidst reports of significant strain within the workforce under its director, Kash Patel.
The F.B.I. Support Network is an extension of the Justice Connection organization, composed of former Justice Department employees who provide legal, mental health, or job search services to current agency personnel. These former agents, analysts, and executives created the network to offer support from individuals familiar with the bureau’s distinct work culture and employment regulations.
Michael Mason, a former senior executive at the bureau, highlighted the current tension within the agency. “There’s an incredible amount of tension inside the agency right now,” Mason stated. “We want our colleagues still serving the F.B.I. to know there are people who understand what is happening. People are being dismissed without due process as the Justice Department is being weaponized in ways contrasting with our long-standing traditions.”
Included among the group’s members is Brian Driscoll, who briefly served as acting director of the bureau in early 2025. Driscoll was dismissed in August after multiple conflicts with the administration related to demands to fire agents involved in President Trump-related cases. Driscoll said in a video announcing the group, “It’s time for those who served with the F.B.I. to offer assistance to the special agents, intelligence analysts, and professional staff under attack.”
Patel has consistently denied allegations of political motivations behind the dismissals, claiming they aim to eliminate bias within the bureau against the president and his allies, leading to confrontations in congressional hearings. During these hearings, Democratic lawmakers have accused him of providing false testimony.
Michael Feinberg, a former counterintelligence agent, stressed the significant changes occurring within the bureau. “Law enforcement and national security work should remain apolitical,” he stated. “Investigating threats and prosecuting criminals must occur without bias. The erosion of these norms fundamentally alters the F.B.I.’s nature and culture.” Feinberg added that the discrepancies between Patel’s public statements and the daily experiences of bureau personnel reveal a substantial shift in the agency’s approach.
Feinberg emphasized the sense of betrayal felt by employees as some senior executives appear to cooperate with Patel to retain their positions. “The betrayal of the F.B.I. ethos is difficult to express,” he remarked.
Devlin Barrett reports on the Justice Department and the F.B.I. for The Times.