FBI Director Kash Patel announced Friday that his agency would permanently close its headquarters in the J. Edgar Hoover Building in Washington, DC, a site he once promised to turn into a “deep state museum.”

Breaking the news on

In his post, Patel boasted that he, along with President Donald Trump and his Republican-led Congress, had “accomplished what no one else could” with his decision to move staff to “modern, secure facilities” at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, the former location of the now-defunct U.S. Agency for International Development.

FBI Director Kash Patel, here in the Oval Office on December 12, confirmed the long-promised plan to move the agency out of Washington, DC's historic Hoover Building in a Friday post on X.
FBI Director Kash Patel, here in the Oval Office on December 12, confirmed the long-promised plan to move the agency out of Washington, DC’s historic Hoover Building in a Friday post on X.

Bloomberg via Getty Images

It is unclear whether Patel, who has long supported the theory that a group of shadowy Washington insiders covertly control what happens at the Capitol, intends to make good on his post-election podcast promise to turn the Hoover Building into a “deep state museum.”

But moving the FBI headquarters to another site in DC is a slap in the face to the state of Maryland, which in 2023 was chosen to host the agency’s new headquarters after a lengthy and controversial search.

Patel cited financial reasons for reneging on plans with Maryland, arguing that the new complex would leave taxpayers “on the hook for nearly $5 billion” and would take until 2035 to open.

Patel, who has supported the idea that a shadowy group of Washington insiders covertly controls the U.S. government, previously promised to turn the Hoover Building into a
Patel, who has supported the idea that a shadowy group of Washington insiders covertly controls the US government, previously promised to turn the Hoover Building into a “deep state museum.”

The Washington Post via Getty Images

The news that the FBI would remain in D.C. comes after Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D), along with other Free State officials, sued to stop what he called an “unlawful bypass” of headquarters plans last month.

In a Nov. 6 statement, State Attorney General Anthony Brown said he refused to allow the Trump administration to “strip Prince George’s County of what it gained and deny its communities the transformative benefits this project would bring.”

Patel further defended the FBI’s move to the existing Reagan Building, saying it was also part of his push to decentralize the agency and put “manpower in the field, where it will remain.”

“This decision puts resources where they belong: defending the homeland, crushing violent crime, and protecting national security,” their X announcement said. “It offers better tools for today’s FBI workforce at a fraction of the cost.”