Posted on 04/19/2025 8:15:32 PM PDT by Red Badger
Charles McGonigal may be the most corrupt FBI official in modern history—and yet somehow, his name has barely made a blip on the radar. This wasn’t some mid-level pencil-pusher. McGonigal was one of the top counterintelligence agents at the FBI’s New York field office. He was directly involved in the bureau’s most sensitive operations, including the infamous “Crossfire Hurricane” probe into (phony) Trump–Russia “collusion.” And after that whole fraudulent mess, it turns out that he was secretly taking money from a Kremlin-linked oligarch and helping shake down Albanian oligarchs on the side. You can’t make this up, right?
Now here we are, with Kash Patel and Dan Bongino stepping into FBI leadership roles under Trump 2.0—which is great. But somehow, Charles McGonigal’s name is still off the radar. And that needs to change.
Because if we’re going to clean house, we need to clean all of it.
This isn’t some minor HR issue being swept under the rug. This is the rot at the heart of the Deep State—buried deep inside the FBI.
The Washington Examiner lays out just how deep this corruption goes—and just how quiet the system has been about it:
McGonigal, a high-flyer in the bureau, fell into disgrace and worse after his 2018 retirement from the FBI when it was revealed that, while serving as the powerful head of counterintelligence at the New York Field Office, he got into bed with a top Kremlin oligarch and shady Albanians. He did so for cash.
McGonigal wasn’t just dirty—he was embedded deep inside the FBI during one of the most politically sensitive times in recent history. The Washington Examiner piece goes on:
In late 2016, his counterspy office in New York participated in the FBI’s investigation into Trump’s alleged ties to the Kremlin, the notorious Operation Crossfire Hurricane. Yet, just a couple of years later, McGonigal was on the payroll of Oleg Deripaska, a leading Kremlin oligarch who featured prominently in that investigation.
But it wasn’t just Russia. McGonigal had ties to a socialist prime minister, dirty intelligence operatives, and possibly millions in kickbacks. The Washington Examiner piece continues:
In 2023, he was sentenced to four years in prison for illegally working for Deripaska. In early 2024, McGonigal received an additional 28-month sentence for concealing his $225,000 payment by Albanian intelligence… The Justice Department showed no interest in the wider implications of the case.
Dan Bongino actually discussed this case on his podcast back in early 2023. He even touched on the Albania angle. But curiously, that episode has now vanished from his archive. The Washington Examiner piece wraps it up:
We know that the deputy director is aware of McGonigal and his misdeeds. In early 2023, Bongino discussed the case, including its messy Albanian dimension, on his popular podcast. Oddly, however, that episode has since disappeared from his archive website. That’s not a good sign.
Where is that podcast? Inquiring minds want to know and want to listen to it again.
The bottom line is this: if Patel and Bongino are serious about cleaning house, they can’t just ignore this. The American people deserve to know who McGonigal worked with, who protected him, and who else inside the FBI may still be compromised.
A popular X thread connects the dots between McGonigal and a major counterintelligence operation called Operation Ghost Stories, which targeted deep-cover Russian spies inside the US, and actually raises even more questions for Patel and Bongino to answer:
Why was Operation Ghost Stories shut down so suddenly—and were the Russians being protected?
Was McGonigal one of the agents involved? And did his presence compromise the entire op?
J. Michael Walker:
The FBI ran an aggressive, brilliant Operation Ghost Stories… It was suddenly shut down in June 2010, the day Bill Clinton gave his $500,000 speech to a Kremlin-connected bank.
The @FBI also approved a hasty, almost panicked, removal of those 10 Russian spies from the US, and returned them to Putin without trying to turn any of them or get a better deal. Why? The later “collusion” narrative as a deflection point or projection makes sense.
Find those who shut down Operation Ghost Stories and quickly returned the 10 Russian SVR agents to Putin, and we are likely to find some Russian spy penetrations of the US government.
Also, this post in Spanish lays it out plainly: this wasn’t just corruption—it was global criminal behavior:
Translation: Brookfield hired corrupt former FBI agent Charles McGonigal as senior vice president of global security… It’s an international mafia..!
The McGonigal scandal is the Deep State in a nutshell—powerful, dirty, protected, and, for now, totally buried.
We believe Bongino and Patel are serious about reform. But this story can’t be ignored. It’s not just about one corrupt official—it’s about how deeply that corruption was embedded, how high it went, and who else may still be there.
McGonigal was the face of the FBI’s counterintelligence operation during one of the most pivotal (and sketchy) times in American political history. If this isn’t being investigated and exposed, then we’re not cleaning house—we’re just sweeping the dirt under a new rug.
Yes, McGonigal was sentenced—but that doesn’t mean the story’s over.
In fact, it’s just the opposite. The charges barely scratched the surface. There are still major questions about what he was really involved in, who he was working with, and how deep the corruption goes. Powerful people behind the scenes want this wrapped up and forgotten.
So, here’s the ask: Dan, Kash—it’s time to finish the job. Investigate McGonigal. Top to bottom.
He actually believed it...........
This guy, appointed by Comey to the NY job, was involved in several sensitive investigations so it is going to take a while to walk back over his steps and how his actions may have directed or misdirected these investigations.
This includes the Bradley/ Chelsea Manning case, the Russian spy ring case, and even TWA Flight 800.
No instant gratification to be had.
Another member of the Dirty Guy Club it’s wonder how anything gets done right in D.C..
They can’t. Indictments come from grand juries.
Patel investigates, provides evidence and Bondi charges.
Patel can’t charge or indict.
Like you could do better. You’d be so haphazard you couldn’t get a conviction or even a court to hear the case.
Boy. Every post is by arm chair agents obviously. They k own so much about law enforcement and courts. Geniuses.
Kash, get off FR and back to work!
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