FBI insiders had sharp critiques of FBI Director Kash Patel's leadership amid rising terrorism threats, according to reports on Monday.
Patel has come under fire after four separate terror-related incidents since the Iran war began four weeks ago, and an overall increase in terrorism, The Daily Beast reported. Experts warned that Patel's missteps could lead to even bigger problems ahead.
A former FBI agent told Miranda Devine, conservative commentator for The New York Post, during her podcast Pod Force One that the FBI should have acted more urgently to review its surveillance methods, including its flagging systems, investigative and screening processes, and its threat monitoring systems.
“The FBI should be directly questioned on these matters on their prior knowledge and applicable actions,” the agent said. “If not, then this violence will continue to happen and intensify.”
Another former agent said that Patel had spent more time worried about the Epstein files and immigration, instead of focusing on safety.
“It is a zero-sum situation,” the other agent said. “When people are being redirected away from their primary national security duties, some things are bound to be missed.”
Ben Williamson, Assistant Director for Public Affairs at the FBI, was quick to respond to Devine's interview with the former FBI agents.
"This banger of an article blames Kash Patel for a convicted terrorist who was released from prison under the previous administration," Williamson wrote on X.