At a 250th anniversary celebration for America in Washington, D.C., FBI Director Kash Patel and his girlfriend, country singer Alexis Wilkins, posed for a photograph. As seen below, Patel is wearing a badge on his hip.
When social media influencer “Lionel” asked, “Do you think FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover would ever have been caught dead wearing his FBI badge on his belt like a regular Special Agent? Seriously?”, White House correspondent Andrew Feinberg of The Independent replied: “Why is the director, who is not an 1811, wearing a badge as if he were?”
[NOTE: An 1811 is “the federal criminal investigator classification series established by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM).”]
Why is the director, who is not an 1811, wearing a badge as if he were? https://t.co/ggXvd061xg
— Andrew Feinberg (@AndrewFeinberg) June 27, 2026
Many X users replied to Feinberg with questions about the 1811 classification. According to Grok: “The FBI Director is a Senate-confirmed presidential appointee in an executive leadership position—not a GS-1811. Directors run the agency but are not career field agents. Wearing the badge visibly (like on a belt) like a regular agent is uncommon and not traditional. Directors receive official credentials, but most past ones (including Hoover) did not present that way. It’s not prohibited—the Director has full authority—but it’s largely symbolic and often criticized for optics, blurring leadership vs. operational roles.”
Former FBI agent and conservative podcaster Kyle Seraphin also responded, criticizing Patel: “Remember when Patel announced the FBI was leaving the Hoover building? Lie. This ‘family day’ was at… the Hoover Building.”
[NOTE: In December, Patel said he was going to close the Hoover Building and relocate the agency’s headquarters, but the relocation is still reportedly in limbo.]
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