From the moment Kash Patel was appointed as the director of the F.B.I., he has invited controversy and concern about what his leadership would look like and how it might affect the agency.
The New York Times journalists Emily Bazelon and Rachel Poser spoke to dozens of current and former F.B.I. employees about how the agency has been transformed.
Guest:
<ul>
 <li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/emily-bazelon" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Emily Bazelon</a>, a staff writer at The New York Times Magazine.</li>
 <li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/rachel-poser" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Rachel Poser</a>, a story editor for The New York Times Magazine.</li>
</ul>
Background reading: 
<ul>
 <li>Read their article about <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/01/22/magazine/trump-kash-patel-fbi-agents.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a year inside the F.B.I. under Mr. Patel</a>.</li>
 <li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/20/us/politics/kash-patel-atlantic-article-alcohol-drinking-fbi-lawsuit.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mr. Patel sued The Atlantic</a> over an article that claimed his excessive drinking and unexplained absences were putting his job in jeopardy.</li>
</ul>
Photo: Kenny Holston/The New York Times
For more information on today’s episode, visit <a href="http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily" rel="noopener noreferrer">nytimes.com/thedaily</a>. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 
Subscribe today at <a href="http://nytimes.com/podcasts">nytimes.com/podcasts</a> or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher">https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher</a>. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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