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In a sweeping and urgent editorial, The New York Times has raised serious alarm over the current state of the FBI under Donald Trump’s leadership, warning that the once-independent agency is being systematically reshaped into a political weapon for the MAGA agenda.
Based on interviews with former FBI officials, the editorial outlines what the editors describe as a dangerous transformation underway. “Mr. Trump’s playbook for the F.B.I. is plain to see,” the Times wrote. “He is turning it into an enforcement agency for MAGA’s priorities. He is chasing out agents who might refuse to play along and installing loyalists in their place.
He is seeking to remove the threat of investigation for his friends and allies. And he is trying to instill fear in his critics and political opponents.”
The paper specifically criticizes Trump-appointed FBI Director Kash Patel, who has reportedly “fired, pressured to leave or transferred” seasoned officials, effectively gutting the bureau of critical expertise. The result, as one former official put it, is that the FBI is now “…completely unprepared to respond to a crisis, including the fallout from the current conflict in the Middle East.”
“These developments should unsettle all Americans, regardless of party,” the Times warned, emphasizing that the agency’s integrity is being replaced with blind loyalty. A prime example, the editors argue, was the recent Signal scandal where senior officials leaked sensitive information in a group chat — a case that would normally trigger an internal probe. “Under Mr. Trump, the bureau looked the other way,” they noted.
Director Patel, the editorial charges, “is dismantling key operations and reshaping the bureau into an instrument of Mr. Trump’s political will.” It adds that Trump, who for years accused the FBI of being weaponized against him, is now ironically turning it into exactly that.
More than 650 FBI agents have reportedly filed for retirement under the Trump-Patel leadership, with the editorial concluding that Trump, Patel, and fellow Trump ally Dan Bongino “have put the reputation and effectiveness of the F.B.I. at risk. In doing so, they are risking the safety of the American public.”
The editorial serves as a stark warning of the potential consequences of politicizing federal law enforcement — and how that shift could endanger the very fabric of democracy.
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