FBI Distributes Classified Patel Report on Bureau Shortcomings

On Oct. 2, 2026, the FBI distributed a classified Patel Report to its workforce via an internal message obtained by AP and MS NOW. Co-deputy directors Christopher Raia and Andrew Bailey signed the message, saying Director Kash Patel released the report to promote fierce organizational accountability and rebuild public trust. It documents where the institution fell short and what the bureau has done and will do so those failures are not repeated. Bailey's last day was that Friday. Specific findings, covered episodes, and any recommendations were not disclosed. The FBI declined to comment. CONTESTED: Patel pledged at his confirmation hearing last year he would not look backward. That contrasts with the workforce message, which says the Patel Report looks backward because accountability demands it. MS NOW reports three current and former officials expect the report to cover the Russia investigation and special counsel probes and see it as rewriting history in Trump's favor. AP reporting notes Patel has terminated employees who participated in past Trump investigations, were photographed taking a knee during a 2020 racial justice protest, or contributed to a disputed analytical memo about Catholic extremism, and states that Patel's critics accuse him of politicizing the FBI. Patel testified at a Senate Judiciary hearing on Oversight of the FBI on Sept. 15, 2026.