FBI Director Dan Bongino announced that sweeping reforms are underway inside the embattled agency, signaling a decisive departure from the politicized conduct of the past. Under the leadership of Bongino and Deputy Director Kash Patel, the bureau is undergoing a top-down cultural transformation aimed at restoring integrity, public trust, and constitutional accountability.

“The accountability process is ongoing as we move disciplined, and focused, leaders into critical positions in the field. And, we are removing employees who have violated their oaths, and those who invited partisanship into the workplace. The process is ongoing, and will not stop,” Bongino stated in a post on X.

Bongino confirmed the FBI is reforming its recruitment and training protocols, including modifications to the hiring process, physical fitness standards, and a renewed emphasis on defensive tactics. These changes, he said, are critical to ensuring agents have the skill and composure to effectively handle dangerous situations while avoiding unnecessary escalation.

“We want the FBI agent component of the bureau to have the physical skill set to de-escalate when necessary,” Bongino said, noting the importance of preparedness in life-or-death encounters.

He also revealed that the bureau is developing an “enhanced compliance process” to prevent the recurrence of past abuses and scandals. “Both the Director and I have had multiple meetings on this topic and we are working on substantive changes to current procedures. We must be held accountable, both internally to management, and externally to the people we work for, given the gravity of our responsibilities,” Bongino wrote.

Deputy Director Patel echoed that sentiment, calling for deep institutional reform and transparency. Last week, Patel accused the FBI of concealing investigations related to then-presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, calling it a betrayal of the public’s trust.

During a joint interview on Fox News with Maria Bartiromo, Patel pointed to the former FBI leadership—specifically James Comey—as a central figure in what he described as a breakdown in lawful oversight.

“The FBI usurped the constitutional responsibilities held by the Department of Justice and the Attorney General,” Patel said, referencing the Clinton email scandal. “Comey decided for himself what cases to prosecute and what not to.”

Patel criticized the bureau’s decision to avoid charging Clinton over her private email server scandal, suggesting it was politically motivated and part of a broader scheme to protect her candidacy. He noted that Comey “intentionally omitted investigation information or distorted prosecution decisions during his tenure as FBI Director.”

Indeed, during the 2016 campaign, Comey held a widely criticized press conference declaring that “no reasonable prosecutor” would pursue charges against Clinton—even though the FBI had uncovered what many viewed as evidence of crimes. Days before the election, however, the probe was abruptly reopened, casting fresh doubt on Clinton’s judgment and handling of classified material.

Patel asserted that the scandal was followed by the now-debunked Trump-Russia collusion narrative—a coordinated effort, he argued, to deflect scrutiny from Clinton and smear then-candidate Donald Trump.

“New details have been uncovered,” Patel noted, referring to internal documents that allegedly expose how Comey misused the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) process and deceived both the courts and the American public.

“He concealed relevant documents and hid them in places that cannot be found,” Patel added.

Speaking to Fox & Friends on Thursday, Bongino revealed that investigators had discovered a trove of materials from the Comey era stashed in an undisclosed room inside FBI headquarters.

“I wouldn’t call it hidden, but hidden from us at least and not mentioned to us, and then we found stuff in there and a lot of it’s from the Comey-era, and we are working our damndest right now to declassify,” Bongino said.

As President Donald J. Trump begins his second term, the Bongino-Patel team appears committed to realigning the FBI with its core mission—serving justice impartially and safeguarding the Constitution.