The FBI has recorded a sharp spike in complaints that its own agents and employees have engaged in sexual misconduct, ranging from assault to harassment, despite a pledge by the bureau’s leaders to eliminate the longstanding problem.

Brian Driscoll was tapped to lead the FBI pending the Senate confirmation of Kash Patel, who is President Donald Trump’s pick for director. The move came hours after Paul Abbate, who served for the last four years as Wray’s deputy and had been in line to serve as acting director, told colleagues in an email that he was retiring.

Former President Biden commuted the life sentence of Native American activist Leonard Peltier, who was convicted in the 1975 killings of two FBI agents, against the urgings of former FBI Director

Attorney General Merrick Garland reacts during a farewell ceremony at the Department of Justice, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks as FBI Director Christopher Wray listens during a ...

Kash Patel, President Trump's pick to run the FBI, answers questions Thursday in a public hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Patel is a controversial nominee, having long raged against the so-called Deep State and prioritized his loyalty to Trump.

Kash Patel, President Donald Trump's pick to head the FBI, faces a potentially fiery Senate confirmation hearing on Thursday amid staunch Democratic opposition. | TAG24

Patel, a Trump loyalist who has railed against the FBI over its investigations into the president and claimed that Jan. 6 rioters were mistreated by the Justice Department, was picked in November to replace Christopher Wray.

Kash Patel has hawked a sketchy supplement to undo the effects of the COVID vaccine, promoted the QAnon cult and promised to go after Trump’s critics.

At the department’s headquarters in downtown Washington, lawyers described the uncertainty that has rippled across the agency.

Before Trump spoke in Las Vegas, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem was confirmed as the next secretary of Homeland Security

The Trump Justice Department says it has fired more than a dozen employees who worked on criminal investigations into President Donald Trump.