FBI Agent Who Blew Whistle On Jan. 6 Probe Dismissed Over Threat Against Patel
A former FBI whistleblower who was reinstated under President Donald J. Trump after being sidelined during the Biden administration has once again been removed from the bureau—this time following incendiary remarks made during a podcast appearance, according to reporting by the New York Post.
Steve Friend, a former FBI agent who rose to prominence after criticizing the bureau’s handling of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol investigation, was dismissed after comments he made last week were interpreted by FBI officials as a threat directed at FBI Director Kash Patel, sources told the outlet. The remarks occurred during Friend’s appearance on a podcast hosted by former FBI agent Kyle Seraphin and led to his termination on Saturday, according to bureau sources.
Friend initially became a national figure after alleging he was improperly placed on administrative leave by then-FBI Director Christopher Wray for raising internal concerns about what he viewed as politicized enforcement surrounding Jan. 6—an investigation that ultimately resulted in the prosecution of roughly 1,600 defendants.
Following his suspension, Friend emerged as a conservative media commentator and author and was publicly aligned with Patel prior to his latest dismissal, the Post reported.
Friend was first suspended from the FBI in August 2022 and formally resigned in February 2023. He returned to the FBI’s payroll on Oct. 10, though he had not resumed active duty at the Jacksonville field office because he had not yet completed the required background check—a process that can be prolonged in whistleblower-related cases.
During the podcast appearance, Friend questioned the legitimacy of the arrest of Brian Cole Jr., the Virginia man charged in connection with the Jan. 5, 2021, pipe bomb incidents near the Democratic and Republican National Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C. Friend suggested the arrest was part of a broader institutional cover-up.
In that discussion, Friend made remarks invoking “God’s wrath” in language that officials later viewed as alarming. According to the Post, Friend said:
“You better pray to Gaia or Vishnu or whatever your maker is, that real Steve Friend is never in a position to be an instrument of God’s wrath, because I will be merciful: I won’t give you a trial and a hanging,” he told Seraphin on Dec. 5. “I’ll allow you to breathe every breath that your body will have for the rest of its natural life inside of a box, and then when it ultimately fades to black, that’s when real wrath begins.”
Although Friend did not mention Patel by name, he alluded to a senior official whom he accused of orchestrating what he described as a fabricated cover-up. He referred to the individual as part of the bureau’s “executive leadership” and referenced the Hindu god Vishnu—comments some listeners interpreted as a veiled reference to Patel, who was raised Hindu, the report noted.
Concern inside the bureau intensified after a video clip of the remarks was shared on X on Dec. 8 by retired FBI supervisory special agent John Nantz, according to sources familiar with the matter. Following the clip’s circulation, the FBI instructed Friend to report to the office to address the comments.
Friend has since been required to report in person to the FBI’s Jacksonville field office beginning Monday, according to the Post.
Officials said the podcast remarks were the latest in a series of public statements that violated FBI policy, which restricts employees from publicly discussing bureau operations or internal matters without authorization.
On the same day the remarks were made, attorneys at Empower Oversight—the legal organization that previously represented Friend and secured his reinstatement and back pay—terminated their representation, according to a letter from the firm. The letter was later posted on X by Seraphin.
The firm stated that Friend had been warned on Nov. 24 that, upon returning to the FBI’s payroll, he was again subject to the bureau’s social media and public communications policies.
Despite that warning, the letter said, Friend continued to publicly criticize the FBI and promote conspiracy theories—actions that ultimately contributed to his removal.