Bombshell FBI Termination Unveiled
Kash Patel Fires FBI Agent Who Allegedly Threatened Him
A former FBI agent who rose to prominence as a conservative whistleblower has been fired from the bureau after issuing disturbing remarks that were interpreted internally as a threat against FBI Director Kash Patel.
Steve Friend, an FBI agent who was previously suspended under the Biden administration and later reinstated under President Donald Trump, was terminated on Saturday following comments he made during a podcast appearance earlier this month.
According to sources familiar with the matter, Friend crossed a red line during an appearance on The Kyle Seraphin Show when he launched into a heated rant while pushing a conspiracy theory involving the Jan. 6 pipe bomb investigation.
During the broadcast, Friend invoked what he described as “God’s wrath” against a senior figure he accused of orchestrating a federal cover-up.
“You better pray to Gaia or Vishnu or whatever your maker is, that real Steve Friend is never in a position to be an instrument of God’s wrath,” Friend said. “I will be merciful. I won’t give you a trial and a hanging.”
Although Friend did not name FBI Director Kash Patel directly, multiple sources said the comments were widely interpreted inside the bureau as referring to Patel, who now leads the agency and was once an ally of Friend.
The remarks reportedly triggered immediate alarm within the FBI. Friend was ordered to report in person to the Jacksonville field office, and shortly afterward, his employment was terminated.
Friend initially gained national attention after claiming he was sidelined by former FBI Director Christopher Wray for raising concerns about the scope and conduct of the Jan. 6 investigation. He alleged the bureau was inflating domestic extremism statistics and improperly targeting Americans.
Those claims made him a cause célèbre in conservative media circles. He later received backing from Kash Patel, who supported whistleblowers during his rise as a leading critic of the so-called deep state.
Friend had resigned from the bureau in early 2023 but was reinstated in October after a settlement that included back pay. However, sources said he had not yet resumed full duties and remained subject to FBI conduct and media policies.
Compounding his problems, Friend’s legal representation abruptly dropped him as a client on the same day as the podcast appearance.
Attorneys from Empower Oversight warned him beforehand that public commentary could result in “further adverse administrative action.”
Despite those warnings, Friend continued appearing on podcasts and promoting unverified allegations, including claims that Patel was involved in a fabricated arrest tied to the pipe bomb case.
FBI policy prohibits employees from making unauthorized public statements about bureau operations, particularly when those statements could be construed as threatening or inflammatory, per the New York Post.
Patel, who previously supported Friend’s whistleblower claims, reportedly reviewed internal personnel files after becoming director and developed serious concerns about Friend’s conduct.
The FBI declined to comment on the termination, citing long-standing policy on personnel matters.
The episode marks a dramatic fall for one of the most high-profile whistleblowers of the post-Jan. 6 era and underscores a growing divide within conservative circles between institutional reform efforts and conspiratorial rhetoric.
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