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WASHINGTON — <\/span>WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 The FBI<\/a> has released a classified report to its workforce examining what it says are chapters from the bureau’s history \u201cwhere this institution fell short,\u201d according to an internal message obtained Friday by The Associated Press.<\/p>\n It was unclear what episodes from the FBI’s past are chronicled in the new \u201cPatel Report.\u201d But the document’s existence is in keeping with Director Kash Patel’s frequent criticism<\/a> of the leaders who preceded him as well as with his determination to rid the FBI of agents and other employees he contends have politicized the bureau in the past. Patel’s critics, however, accuse him of politicizing the FBI.<\/p>\n Though Patel pledged at his confirmation hearing<\/a> last year that he would not look \u201cbackward,\u201d he has encouraged investigation of former senior officials and has presided over waves of terminations, including of employees who participated in years-old investigations<\/a> of President Donald Trump, were photographed taking a knee during a 2020 racial justice protest<\/a> and contributed to a disputed analytical memo<\/a> about Catholic extremism.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Patel Report looks backward because accountability demands it,\u201d says a memo to the workforce signed by the FBI’s co-deputy directors, Christopher Raia and Andrew Bailey, that describes the document as marking the \u201cclosing of one chapter in our history and the beginning of another complete with a brighter future ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n Bailey announced his resignation<\/a> earlier this week, and his last day is Friday. The FBI declined to comment on the report.<\/p>\n The message also says: \u201cWe cannot change what happened before we arrived. But we can confront it honestly. We can recognize failures instead of protecting them. We can hold people accountable. We can fix what was broken. And we can build safeguards strong enough to ensure the mistakes of the past are never allowed to define this institution again. These steps are consistent with any institution of excellence that is constantly striving for improvement.”<\/p>\n It was unclear if the report made recommendations or demanded any action to address past shortcomings.<\/p>\n The FBI message says the report is meant to \u201dpromote fierce organizational accountability\u201d and rebuild \u201cpublic trust.\u201d<\/p>\n But Patel\u2019s critics say the politically charged investigations into perceived adversaries of Trump that the FBI has started under his watch, as well as the punishment of agents who participated in investigations into the Republican president to which they were assigned, have eroded faith in the nation\u2019s premier federal law enforcement agency.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n Follow the AP’s coverage of the FBI at https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/us-federal-bureau-of-investigation<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n