FBI Director Kash Patel recently announced plans to relocate 1,500 employees from the agency’s Washington, DC headquarters to various locations across the United States.
In an interview with Fox Business’ Maria Bartiromo, Patel explained that the agency is moving out of the J. Edgar Hoover Building, citing safety concerns about the current facility.
“The FBI is leaving the Hoover building because this building is not safe for our workforce,” Patel stated. “We want American men and women to know, if you work for the best law enforcement agencies in the world, we provide you with a building worthy of it. It’s not this place.”
Though he emphasized the building’s unsuitability, he did not provide specific details on the safety issues.
“Look, when we’re talking about the FBI, which has about 38,000 employees, there are 11,000 within a 50-mile radius of Washington, DC. That’s roughly a third of the workforce,” he noted.
“So, we’re taking 1,500 of those people and moving them. All the states are doing a plus-up. When we make this move, we’re signaling to the American people that we want talented individuals to join us in combating violent crime.”
Patel mentioned that the transition is expected to start within the next three to nine months.
