Kash Patel Is Getting Side-Eyed for “Pushing Out” Salt Lake City FBI Chief Mehtab Syed

A month before the Charlie Kirk political assassination at Utah Valley University (UVU), a woman named Mehtab Syed was pushed out of her role as head of the FBI’s Salt Lake City field office. Maybe she did something wrong, or perhaps she was no longer a good fit. While those are the usual lines used to explain a firing, there seems to be much more to Syed’s removal than meets the eye.

After Kash Patel took over as FBI director, big changes followed.

That included the removal and replacement of several high-ranking employees. Current and former officials, who are remaining anonymous, told MSNBC that many of those affected are women or minorities. It also appears the overhaul may be aimed at removing anyone who isn’t aligned with the efforts being pushed by Donald Trump, Patel, and Dan Bongino. And Syed may have been caught up in that. Here’s a look at the circumstances surrounding her firing.

Well, that’s not entirely clear. According to sources who spoke with MSNBC, “She wasn’t a good fit for the office,” which they say Associate Deputy Director J. William Rivers, who is also working with Bongino and Patel, told Mehtab Syed. But how? She had just been promoted to the higher-ranking role in February 2025, a decision the bureau likely made after significant thought and consideration.

Syed also had an impressive track record, according to people who worked closely with her. Former FBI agent Christopher O’Leary, an MSNBC national security contributor who worked with Syed, described her as “absolutely the best — truly a humble servant leader who treats co-workers like family.”

He added, “And she’s a legendary case agent who was involved in some of the most significant national security cases of the last two decades.”

For context, Syed joined the FBI in 2005, where she worked on counterterrorism investigations. As a Muslim, the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks struck a chord with her.

Living in New York at the time, she decided to shift her focus from finance to serving in the FBI to make a difference. “You feel shame first because you’re Muslim, (and) you see someone doing something so bad, and it kind of reflects who you are. But then I got angry, and I was like, ‘Uh-uh, that’s not happening,’” she told KSL in May 2025.

Over the course of her career, she received multiple promotions. In 2022, she became section chief, reporting to the Counterintelligence Division at FBI Headquarters while stationed at the Newark field office. In 2023, she was named Special Agent in Charge of the Counterintelligence and Cyber Division at the Los Angeles field office, per the FBI. So, what went wrong? It’s a question people now have and are looking to Patel to answer.

With Patel making major shakeups within the FBI, including removing the head of the Salt Lake City field office, Syed, many are beginning to question his motives, especially in the wake of Kirk’s shooting. Syed may not have prevented the attack, but she would have taken the lead on the investigation, which raises questions about how the FBI plans to handle these incidents (and prevent them) amid so many leadership changes.

Another question is whether these key figures are being ousted simply because they don’t align with President Trump’s agenda. If that’s the case, it could leave the FBI vulnerable and create gaps in public trust, as experienced and familiar agents are pushed out while new faces are thrust into leadership roles.