An Open Letter to the Men and Women of the FBI from The Steady State Expressing Support and Alarm Over Politicization and Retribution – A Purge

The Steady State | August 9, 2025

We write to you as former members of the U.S. intelligence, diplomatic, defense, and national security communities—veterans of service to both Republican and Democratic administrations. We are The Steady State, a nonpartisan group of professionals who have served in the CIA, FBI, State Department, Department of Defense, NSA, DHS, and the uniformed military. Together, we have spent our careers upholding the Constitution and defending the United States from foreign and domestic threats.

We have worked across the globe—at embassies, forward operating bases, and conflict zones—as well as here at home, in Washington, D.C. and in field offices across the country. Some of us sat across the table from foreign intelligence services, some led counterterrorism operations or nuclear nonproliferation programs, while others negotiated treaties or built coalitions in defense of democracy. Whatever the mission, one constant was our respect for—and reliance on—the integrity, professionalism, and independence of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Together, we helped keep America safe from espionage, terrorism, and transnational crime. Together, we ensured that more than a dozen presidents had the best intelligence and analysis available to make decisions that shaped the outcome of the Cold War and safeguarded American interests around the world.

It is from that shared legacy of service that we now write in deep concern and solidarity.

The recent removals of seasoned FBI leaders—most notably Agents Brian Driscoll, Michael Feinberg, Walter Giardina—are not isolated personnel matters. They appear part of a broader campaign to dismantle the FBI’s long-standing independence and recast it as a tool of political loyalty. That such dismissals are reportedly tied to perceived personal disloyalty to former President Donald Trump is profoundly alarming.

The elevation of unqualified political loyalists, such as Kash Patel and Dan Bongino—whose resumes do not meet the basic standards for leadership of the world’s premier law enforcement agency—makes the pattern unmistakable. It is not about reform. It is about control. The aim, it seems, is to transform the FBI from a respected, constitutionally grounded investigative service into a personal enforcement arm of a political figure.

We have seen these dynamics abroad—leaders who demand loyalty from security services not to the law, but to themselves. These regimes do not end well. The FBI has long been a bulwark against such corruption: an institution where rule of law and civil liberties are held in balance with the demands of national security. Its independence is not a bureaucratic feature; it is a democratic necessity.

To our friends and colleagues in the Bureau, past and present: we recognize the pressure you are under. We honor your service and the sacrifices you’ve made—quietly, honorably, often without recognition. And we want you to know: we stand with you.

Your integrity matters. Your courage matters. The nation is watching, and will be inspired by the FBI. And history will remember.

With respect, gratitude, and resolve,

The Members of The Steady State