FBI and Domestic Counterterrorism

Current and former Justice Department and FBI officials say about 300 FBI agents whose work was mostly in national security — including counterterrorism and counterintelligence — have left the bureau since President Donald Trump’s second term began, with 45 fired and at least 50 of the departed in leadership roles. Many of the exits are attributed to what insiders describe as a politically driven purge led by FBI Director Kash Patel and a toxic, politicized environment that shifted bureau priorities toward immigration enforcement and street crime, prompting veteran counterterror agents to race for retirement or the private sector. Former FBI agent Christopher O’Leary calls it an "institutional decapitation" that has left the country dangerously exposed amid the Iran war, a resurgent terrorism threat and a relentless Chinese espionage campaign that leadership "rarely discusses," and watchdog head Stacey Young says the loss of institutional knowledge has degraded capabilities at a perilous time. As illustration, sources point to the recent ISIS‑inspired Gracie Mansion bombing attempt in New York and a "Property of Allah" shirt‑wearing gunman’s mass shooting in Austin, Texas, both apparently off the FBI’s radar beforehand. The FBI, through spokesman Ben Williamson, does not dispute the loss figures but insists national‑security work has improved, citing a 35% rise in counterintelligence arrests last year and big jumps in China‑ and Iran‑related cases — statistics the bureau declined to fully document — underscoring a sharp clash between official metrics and frontline accounts of hollowed‑out expertise.