"If he’s not plugged in, things could be bad."
A former senior FBI official has accused the bureau’s director, Kash Patel, of spending more time out partying than being at work.
Frank Figliuzzi said: “Reportedly, he’s been visible at nightclubs far more than he has been on the seventh floor of the Hoover building.”
Figliuzzi served as assistant director for counterintelligence at the FBI after 25 years as a special agent. He now works as a columnist and contributor for NBC News and MSNBC.
On May 2, 2025, he told host Jonathan Lemire that contacts inside the FBI had described growing disorder under Patel’s leadership, including his alleged party lifestyle.
He said: “And there are reports that daily briefings to him have been changed from every day to maybe twice weekly.”
Figliuzzi described Patel’s frequent absences as a “blessing and a curse”, adding:
“If he’s really trying to run things without his experience, without any experience level, things could be bad.
“If he’s not plugged in, things could be bad. But he’s allowing agents to run things so we don’t know where this is going.”
Kash Patel was an unusual choice to lead the FBI, having never worked as an agent.
He began his career as a public defender before becoming a national security prosecutor at the Department of Justice. He later advised the House Intelligence Committee and served as deputy director of National Intelligence.
Before taking the top FBI role, he founded The Kash Foundation.
Figliuzzi claimed Patel now splits his time between Washington, DC, and his home in Las Vegas.
He cited reports from the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post, saying Patel has significantly reduced his time in the office.
He also said he has heard the director cut daily briefings down to just two a week.
Kash Patel recently faced criticism for publicly announcing the arrest of Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan on his official X account.
He posted: “Just NOW, the FBI arrested Judge Hannah Dugan out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on charges of obstruction – after evidence of Judge Dugan obstructing an immigration arrest operation last week.
“We believe Judge Dugan intentionally misdirected federal agents away from the subject to be arrested in her courthouse, Eduardo Flores Ruiz, allowing the subject – an illegal alien – to evade arrest.”
The post was deleted shortly after it went up, but was reposted two hours later with no explanation.
Judge Dugan has been charged with two felony counts of obstruction and concealing an individual. She is accused of helping an undocumented migrant evade arrest after a court appearance.
Meanwhile, Senate Democrats have launched an inquiry into Patel’s use of FBI aircraft for personal travel.
There are allegations that he used the bureau’s jets to visit his girlfriend and attend sporting events, including a UFC fight and a hockey game where he was photographed next to Wayne Gretzky.
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