FBI Director Kash Patel reportedly waived the need to pass polygraph tests for Dan Bongino, who is now FBI Deputy Director, alongside two other agents at with high security clearances.
Like Patel, Bongino had no former experience at the agency, but has been a longtime supporter of Donald Trump.
According to ProPublica, Patel granted waivers to Bongino, Marshall Yates, and Nicole Rucker, meaning that they didn’t need to pass a polygraph test—a standard requirement of employment eligibility for the FBI.
Bongino is now the second-highest-ranking member of the FBI and oversees the daily operations of the bureau. Yates is the FBI’s liason with Congress, and Rucker acts as personal assistant to Patel.
The outlet added that FBI spokesperson Ben William denied that the trio “failed polygraphs” and described the claim as “false,” although it wasn’t specified whether the new hires had taken the tests or, if so, how any results were judged.
The FBI did not immediately respond to the Daily Beast’s request for comment.
An unnamed source told ProPublica that Bongino and the other two employees came under the category of ‘Schedule C,’ meaning they’re political appointees to the role.
While the insider suggested that their category exempted them from taking a polygraph exam, national security lawyers and an intelligence expert told ProPublica that the exemption didn’t exist.
Former Secret Service agent Bongino responded to the claims Saturday, and used his past job to explain that he‘d already held a security clearance and had “met” the necessary background checks for his new role as deputy director.
As part of a post on X, he wrote: “Claiming I was hired ‘with no background check’ is just a lie. It’s a complete fabrication.”
Bongino added: “I held a security clearance, while protecting Democrat and Republican presidents, for over ten years. And all of the background check requirements for my current position as Deputy Director of the FBI have been met. Those are simple facts.”
While Patel has yet to comment on the report, Bongino’s defense sounded very similar to Patel’s recent attack on the media for reporting on his personal use of a $60 million FBI private jet.
When flight logs suggested that Patel was using the jet to hop to and from his country music star girlfriend Alexis Wilkins’ shows, the director responded: “Let me be clear: we will not be distracted by baseless rumors or the noise from uninformed internet anarchists and the fake news.”
