#purge
6 entries with this tag
To Refill an FBI Hollowed Out by His Own Purges, Director Kash Patel Quietly Loosened the Bureau's Background Standards — So That Paying for Sex, Stealing From an Employer, and Even Bestiality or Animal Cruelty Are No Longer Automatic Disqualifiers for Would-Be Agents — All While Publicly Insisting, Against the Documented Rule Changes, That He Is "Not Reducing Our Standards" but "Making It Harder"
The FBI — the nation's premier law-enforcement agency, whose job is to investigate crime — has quietly loosened its hiring standards so that people who committed certain crimes and serious misconduct can now become agents. According to reporting, under changes made in June 2026, a range of conduct that was once an automatic disqualifier is no longer one: applicants who paid for a prostitute may still be eligible if it was more than 10 years ago and happened fewer than three times; stealing from an employer is survivable if it was more than three years ago; and bestiality or animal cruelty no longer disqualifies if it occurred before the applicant turned 18. The bureau has also moved to reduce vetting for some applicants and to fast-track existing support staff into the special-agent academy without the interview and writing assessment previously required. The reason is a staffing crisis — roughly 1,139 special agents left in 2025 alone — but that crisis is largely self-inflicted: Director Kash Patel, Trump's hand-picked FBI chief, helped drive agents out through a wave of purges, firings, and resignations targeting those tied to January 6 and Trump-related investigations. Having hollowed out the workforce, he is now lowering the bar to refill it — while flatly denying he is doing so, insisting "we're not reducing our standards — we're actually making it harder." The documented rule changes say otherwise.
Gabbard "Forced Out" as Intelligence Chief — The Last Iran War Skeptic Exits the White House
DNI Tulsi Gabbard resigned citing her husband's cancer diagnosis — but a source told Reuters she was forced out. Gabbard had testified that Iran was not building a nuclear weapon, which Trump publicly called "wrong" before launching strikes anyway. She was sidelined from war decisions, absent from key meetings, on a beach in Hawaii during the Venezuela attack. Her departure removes the last prominent anti-interventionist voice from Trump's inner circle. She is the fourth Cabinet official to leave.
"This Is Just Disarray": Pentagon Insiders Sound Alarm as Hegseth Purges Officers With Impeccable Records
Insiders describe the Pentagon as in "disarray" and "an atmosphere of anxiety and mistrust" as Defense Secretary Hegseth has fired or sidelined dozens of senior officers — the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, the Army Chief of Staff, the Navy Secretary, the Chief of Naval Operations, the Cyber Command chief, the NATO military rep, and more. All during an active war. A current official: "He's just really uncomfortable with anyone who could potentially be outshining him."
Hegseth Fires Army Chief of Staff During an Active War — Replaced by His Own Former Aide
Hegseth ousted Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George during the Iran war and replaced him with Gen. LaNeve — Hegseth's own former military aide. George was the latest in a purge of 12+ senior military leaders. Hegseth wants officers who "implement his vision."
Unprecedented Mass Firing of Military Leaders
In a single Friday night, Trump fired the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, the first female Navy chief, and four other top military leaders. Both four-star women officers were removed. Hegseth then ordered a 20% cut to general officer positions.
Mass Firing of Inspectors General
Trump fired at least 17 inspectors general in a late-night mass dismissal via two-sentence emails. A federal judge ruled the firings unlawful — Trump had violated statutory requirements to notify Congress 30 days in advance.