Brian Driscoll had served the FBI for nearly two decades, earning the Medal of Valor and the Shield of Bravery, when a phone call a week before Donald Trump's second inauguration changed everything. He was being offered the No 2 position at the bureau and told that if he declined, a political appointee would fill the role. He accepted reluctantly, unaware of what the vetting process would reveal.
In his first interview since being dismissed in August 2025, Driscoll spoke exclusively to CNN and described how incoming FBI Director Kash Patel told him his appointment would not be a problem — so long as he had not been active on social media, had not donated to the Democratic Party, and had not voted for Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election. 'It made the hair on the back of my neck stand up,' Driscoll said.
