The FBI director recently fired one of his former far-right allies, Stephen Friend, after Friend appeared to accuse Patel of a cover-up in the D.C. pipe bomb probe.

The FBI director recently fired one of his former far-right allies, Stephen Friend, after Friend appeared to accuse Patel of a cover-up in the D.C. pipe bomb probe.

FBI Director Kash Patel is learning the pitfalls of running an agency chock-full of conspiracy theorists like himself.

The director, who was seemingly nominated for the role primarily because of his sworn allegiance to Donald Trump and a habit of pushing MAGA conspiracy theories, has become the movement’s whipping boy ever since he assumed his position — largely over his failures to provide evidence supporting MAGA conspiracy theories.

Last week, this came to a head when Patel fired Stephen Friend, a far-right influencer, FBI agent and former Patel ally who gained fame among the MAGA faithful after being suspended from the agency under the Biden administration for reportedly sympathizing with Jan. 6 insurrectionists.