In a no-holds-barred interview with Steve Bannon, former Trump Administration member and populist right-winger, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton launched a scathing critique of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Paxton accused the FBI of behaving like secret police from totalitarian regimes such as China, Venezuela, and Nazi Germany, asserting that the agency is rife with corruption and no longer adheres to the rule of law.
“They are the Gestapo. We’re in Venezuela. We might as well be in China. We might as well be in Germany during the 30s and 40s. It is corrupt; it is the Gestapo,” Paxton declared, emphasizing his view that the FBI has become an instrument of political oppression rather than a law enforcement agency.
Paxton’s comments resonate deeply within conservative circles, reflecting widespread concerns about federal overreach and the politicization of key institutions. His fiery rhetoric underscores a belief that the FBI has abandoned its foundational principles, acting more like an authoritarian tool than a defender of justice.
The Texas Attorney General went further, accusing the FBI of instilling fear among state attorneys general, preventing them from challenging federal overreach. “They don’t follow any laws anymore. And no one can stop them. And because of what happened to me, these other AGs are afraid to do anything anyway. So there’s a lot of fear because, like, what can you do? How do you stop them?” Paxton explained, highlighting the chilling effect of the FBI’s actions on state-level legal challenges.
Paxton also laid out a solution, advocating for a complete overhaul of the FBI. He argued that a president like Trump could effectively address the agency’s corruption by starting from scratch. “And I think that the exposure of this case of this judge is unredacted, all this stuff, we’ve got to have more exposure. And then second, we got to have a president who will come in, bring in an attorney general that will take these guys out and make sure that the corruption is eliminated and that we start over,” Paxton said.
Building on this, Paxton accused the FBI of becoming the very organized crime entity it was created to combat. “When I heard you say we need to start over, because right now, you know, they were formed to go after organized crime. And the problem with that now is they are organized crime. They’re paid for by taxpayer dollars. They have become organized crime,” he charged, painting a dire picture of an agency gone rogue.
Steve Bannon echoed Paxton’s sentiments, calling for a radical restructuring of the FBI. He suggested dismantling the agency entirely and starting anew. “President Trump, God bless him, he’s setting out for his urban renewal of DC. He’s saying, hey, we’re going to build a big, beautiful headquarters. I said, hey, how about plan B, which we take it, take everybody out of the building, take it apart, slab by slab, because it’s a monstrosity. And then do what the Romans did to Carthage, salt the earth around it. So nothing else was ever built there,” Bannon proposed, advocating for a drastic reset.
When asked if the FBI’s charter should be revoked and the agency deauthorized, Paxton did not mince words. “It would be better to have nothing. Right now, everybody’s like, well, what about crime? Well, they’re not there to stop crime anymore. They are a political organization designed to persecute people like you and me. And so it would be better not to have anything there than to have that. So yes, you have to take it to the ground and start over. There’s I don’t know any other way because there’s so much corruption. And it’s been so built up by so many other people for so long,” he concluded.
Ken Paxton’s stark indictment of the FBI and his call for its radical restructuring reflect a deep frustration with federal institutions perceived as politically weaponized. His bold statements are a rallying cry for conservatives who believe in restoring accountability and integrity to America’s law enforcement agencies.
