The FBI is giving employees a classified “Patel Report” about times the agency has “fallen short.”

WASHINGTON (AP) – The FBI has released a classified report to its employees examining what it says are chapters in the bureau’s history “where this institution fell short,” according to an internal message obtained by The Associated Press Friday.

It was not clear which episodes from the FBI’s past will be chronicled in the new “Patel Report.” But the document’s existence is in keeping with Director Kash Patel’s vocal criticism of the leaders who preceded him and with his determination to rid the FBI of agents he claims have politicized the bureau in the past. Patel’s critics say he is the one who weaponized the FBI and that his scrutiny of his predecessors and their decisions is part of an effort to rewrite history in favor of President Donald Trump.

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Patel pledged at his confirmation hearing last year that he would not “look back,” but as director he has encouraged and presided over investigations of former senior officials over shady terminations, including of employees who participated in years-old investigations of Trump, was photographed kneeling during a 2020 racial justice protest and contributed to a controversial analytical memo about Catholic extremism.

“The Patel report looks backwards, as accountability demands it,” says a message to the workforce signed by the co-deputy directors of the FBI, Christopher Raia and Andrew Bailey. The message described the report as “closing a chapter in our history and the beginning of another complete with a brighter future ahead.”

Bailey announced his resignation earlier this week, and his last day is Friday. The FBI declined to comment on the report.

The message also says: “We cannot change what happened before we arrived. But we can face it honestly. We can recognize mistakes instead of protecting them. We can hold people accountable. We can fix what is broken. And we can build safeguards strong enough to ensure that the mistakes of the past are never allowed to redefine this institution. These steps are consistent with any institution of excellence that is constantly improving.”

It was unclear whether the report made recommendations or called for action to address what the FBI now considers past deficiencies.

The FBI’s message says the report is intended “to promote strong organizational accountability” and build “public trust.” But Patel’s critics say the politically charged investigations into perceived opponents of Trump that the FBI began under his watch, as well as the punishment of agents who participated in investigations into the Republican president to whom they were assigned, have eroded confidence in the nation’s premier federal lawmaker.