The second in command at the FBI was allowed to circumvent critical vetting processes to gain access to some of the most classified US secrets, insiders are warning.
FBI Director Kash Patel signed waivers that allowed his second in command, FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, in addition to two other recent senior FBI hires, to avoid polygraph exams typically required for top officials, sources told ProPublica.
The outlet was unable to determine if Bongino sat for a polygraph test, though the existence of a waiver indicates the deputy director may not have passed the test.
Still, polygraph exams are not graded on a pass or fail basis; for example, the results may come out inconclusive.
The FBI did not immediately respond to the Daily Mail’s request for comment.
However, FBI spokesman Ben Williamson did tell ProPublica: ‘The FBI follows all laws and procedures on personnel security measures, and any implication otherwise is false.’
‘Furthermore, while the FBI does not comment on confidential security information, particularly in matters of personnel, this article is riddled with falsehoods — it misrepresents polygraph protocol, inaccurately portrays FBI security measures, and makes multiple false claims about FBI employees who have done nothing wrong.’
Williamson later suggested that the three senior officials were ‘not required’ to take the lie detector tests since the roles are for political appointees.
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino reportedly did not go through the typical vetting process required of senior officials, ProPublica reports
FBI Director Kash Patel and Bongino
However, the FBI’s own eligibility guidelines note that all workers must get a ‘top secret’ clearance to work at the department, and that ‘the preliminary employment requirements include a polygraph examination.’
As deputy director, Bongino is responsible for many agency functions, including day-to-day operations and overseeing sensitive operations.
He also helps coordinate the bureau’s over 50 field offices and is privy to the President’s Daily Briefing – an intelligence assessment compiled daily for the commander-in-chief.
The PDB typically contains intelligence from the CIA and the National Security Agency, and Bongino’s proximity to such secrets has some insiders concerned.
Four sources familiar with the lie detector test told ProPublica that Bongino’s ascendancy to the top of the FBI without undergoing the usual polygraph assessment was ‘unprecedented.’
The deputy director had not previously worked at the FBI before being appointed to the role by the president, though the former Fox News contributor and podcast host did spend years with the NYPD before joining the US Secret Service.
‘Trust absolutely nothing emanating from the DOJ or FBI that even remotely whiffs of politics,’ Bongino urged his X followers as recently as September 2024.
The former podcaster also said in a February episode of his show that Trump should ‘ignore’ court orders against the president’s federal spending.
Attorney General Pam Bondi accused Bongino of leaking earlier this year, according to a New York Times report
Earlier this year, Bongino was said to have been behind some high-profile leaks at the agency, something Attorney General Pam Bondi reportedly confronted him about over the summer.
In August, the FBI received reinforcements.
Former Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey was appointed by Trump to serve as co-deputy director alongside Bongino.
Bailey’s appointment set off rumors that Bongino’s influence in the administration was dwindling, though the former Secret Service agent still remains at the FBI.
