When President Donald Trump spoke at the Department of Justice headquarters last week, it was already unusual for him to be there.

His wildly inappropriate remarks vowing to seek vengeance against his enemies and the media — in some cases identified by name — made his remarks unprecedented.

I served 25 years in the Justice Department as an FBI agent and assistant director, and I’ve never seen anything this ominous. What makes it worse is that the two men who now lead the bureau are well-positioned to carry out the retribution that Trump called for in his speech.

The FBI is now in the hands of two men who have never led anything. FBI Director Kash Patel, with a smattering of experience in criminal defense work in Miami and a stint as a prosecutor and political flunky at the Pentagon and the White House, says he’ll bring FBI credibility to new heights as director. Dan Bongino, a former Fox News host, failed U.S. Senate candidate and far-right conspiracy theory podcaster — who was permanently banned from YouTube and temporarily suspended from Twitter — will serve as the bureau’s deputy director.