Former FBI Deputy Director Exposes Trump Loyalty Tests and Purges Within Bureau

Former FBI Deputy Director Brian Driscoll has revealed that the bureau is conducting loyalty tests to determine which agents align with the Trump administration’s agenda. Driscoll, a decorated FBI agent with 18 years of service, was offered the bureau’s second-in-command role at the start of Donald Trump’s second term.

A clerical error temporarily placed Driscoll at the top of the FBI, making him the bureau’s acting director until Kash Patel was confirmed by the Senate in late February. While Driscoll initially accepted the role under pressure, he grew increasingly concerned as Trump officials questioned his political affiliations, voting history, and even his support for Democrats in recent elections.

Patel, Trump’s appointee, was more direct about the expectations. According to Driscoll, Patel stated that Driscoll’s onboarding would not be an issue only if he:

• Remained inactive on social media,
• Avoided donating to the Democratic Party, and
• Did not vote for Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.

“It made the hair on the back of my neck stand up,” Driscoll told CNN.

After Patel’s confirmation, Driscoll met with him and recalled Patel’s blunt statement: “The FBI tried to put the president in jail and he hasn’t forgotten it.”

The tension escalated two weeks after Trump’s inauguration when the White House demanded the names of approximately 6,000 FBI staff involved in the January 6 investigation. Driscoll refused, leading to accusations of “insubordination” from then–Justice Department official Emil Bove, who blamed the resistance on “cultural rot in the FBI.”

“I was telling them this is wrong,” Driscoll said.

Driscoll was fired in August, but the purge has continued. He claims the FBI remains focused on removing agents who could pose a threat to Trump’s agenda, including those involved in the January 6 investigation or the classified documents probe.

Driscoll is one of three former senior FBI agents suing the Trump administration for wrongful termination as part of what he describes as a “campaign of retribution.” The lawsuit is ongoing.