Trump Administration Allegedly Forms FBI 'Payback Squad' to Target Political Opponents

FBI Allegedly Deploys 'Payback Squad' to Pursue Trump’s Political Targets

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has reportedly formed a specialized unit tasked with pursuing political targets identified by the Trump administration, according to a report by NOTUS on Wednesday. The unit, internally referred to as the “payback squad,” is allegedly part of a broader retribution campaign within the bureau.

A senior FBI official, speaking on background, denied the existence of a team with that specific name. However, the official confirmed that personnel may be referring to the Director’s Advisory Team, established in 2025 to investigate alleged abuses of power during previous presidential administrations. The team’s mandate includes building cases similar to the one that led to the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey in April over an Instagram post interpreted by the White House as a threat against Donald Trump.

Structure and Operations of the Alleged Unit

A current government official told NOTUS that the team operates with personnel who “know what they’re signing up for” and work rotational shifts at an off-site location, unaffiliated with established FBI field offices. The senior FBI official further stated that the unit is detached from the FBI’s Washington Field Office and has recently expanded its ranks with additional agents from New York.

Major Shifts in FBI Priorities Under Trump Administration

The formation of this unit is part of a broader transformation within the FBI and other federal agencies, as the Trump administration redirects resources to align with its political and policy goals. Last year, over 6,000 FBI agents were reassigned to handle “immigration-related matters,” fundamentally altering the agency’s traditional law enforcement functions.

This shift mirrors similar restructurings across other major agencies, including:

• The Department of Homeland Security, which has diverted resources to support Trump’s deportation initiatives.
• The Department of Defense, which reallocated billions of dollars to fund border security missions.
• The Justice Department, which has dropped approximately 23,000 criminal cases in the first six months of Trump’s term—including investigations into terrorism, white-collar crime, and drug offenses—while pursuing 32,000 new immigration cases.

Contradictions in Trump’s Deportation Rhetoric

Critics argue that the administration’s focus on immigration enforcement contradicts its stated goal of targeting only the “worst of the worst”—such as murderers, pedophiles, rapists, gang members, and terrorists. Federal authorities have arrested thousands of non-criminal immigrants nationwide, despite repeated assurances that the deportation efforts would prioritize dangerous individuals.

The shift in priorities suggests that ‘making America safe again’ may not be the primary objective for the current administration, as Trump has repeatedly claimed. Instead, the focus appears to be on advancing political agendas through federal law enforcement.

Broader Implications for Federal Law Enforcement

The alleged creation of the ‘payback squad’ and the reallocation of FBI resources underscore a significant departure from the bureau’s traditional role in upholding the rule of law. Observers warn that the politicization of federal agencies could erode public trust in institutions designed to operate independently of partisan influence.