Scandal-plagued Kash Patel forces out legal advisers amid FBI 'reorganization'

ALSO READ: GOP maverick triggers alarm as surprise Iowa visit signals party ripping apart

Scandal-plagued Kash Patel forces out legal advisers amid FBI 'reorganization'
Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel participate in a press conference to announce new Trump administration actions against the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), at the Justice Department in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 5, 2026. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

FBI Director Kash Patel is aggressively downsizing his agency's legal department at precisely the moment a mountain of scandals against him are pouring in.

The FBI's Office of the General Counsel — several hundred lawyers who advise top officials, defend the bureau in lawsuits, and coordinate with Justice Department prosecutors — has started pushing employees toward early retirement under Patel's direction, with terminations reportedly still on the table, according to Bloomberg Law. Patel had earlier ordered the office to fire an attorney seemingly just to send a message, though that particular directive never got carried out.

The office had largely avoided the disruption seen elsewhere at the bureau under President Trump's second term, despite the Heritage Foundation's far-right Project 2025 blueprint recommending its elimination entirely in favor of handing legal review to DOJ lawyers, who argued doing so would serve as a crucial check on an agency "pushing past legal boundary after legal boundary."

General Counsel Samuel Ramer, a Trump-era veteran who's tried walking a tightrope between pleasing Patel and protecting his staff, recently demoted his own deputy overseeing litigation. FBI spokesman Ben Williamson denies any tension between the two men.

"It is totally false," Williamson said when asked whether Patel and Ramer's relationship was soured.

Patel, who used to advise the House GOP on national security issues before being appointed to head the FBI, has faced a series of scandals about his erratic behavior in office, ranging from allegations of excessive drinking to personal use of government planes. He has denied any misconduct and filed lawsuits against commentators and media publications that have broken these stories.

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Rumors swirl as Kristi Noem and Corey Lewandowski spotted together

Former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was spotted in Minnesota with Corey Lewandowski, sparking more rumors about her alleged romantic involvement with her former aide.

Noem and Lewandowski were caught riding bicycles together Tuesday at Lake Minnetonka in Wayzata, Minnesota, where they were seen stopping at a market and cafe called The Grocer's Table, TMZ reported. Noem was wearing a flannel shirt and a floppy straw hat.

Noem has denied having an intimate relationship with Lewandowski, even after she was pressed about it before congressional leaders under oath. She referred to the allegations as "tabloid garbage."

President Donald Trump fired Noem in March, then shuffled her to a new position as Ambassador to the Shield of the Americas amid growing scrutiny over her leadership. Lewandowski has since left DHS and his position as an unpaid adviser to Noem, who has been going through divorce proceedings following the discovery of her husband's "double life" and "bimbofication" fetish.

The internet commented on the photos released by TMZ. Several raised their concerns after Noem, who was responsible for implementing Trump's aggressive immigration policies that began in Minnesota, was seen visiting the state.

"Get the f--- out of my state you disgusting slag. And Noem, too," Dane Rauschenberg, long-distance runner and author, wrote on X.

"If I were @KristiNoem, I simply would not feel safe in Minnesota after @ICEgov executed two Americans in their streets under her leadership," political strategist TJ Adams-Falconer, a former Obama spokesperson, wrote on X.

"The Love Birds," Scott Horton, Harper's Magazine contributing editor, wrote on Bluesky.

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'I'd like to fire them': Trump makes stunning admission during Las Vegas rally

President Donald Trump made a stunning admission during a rally in Las Vegas on Wednesday.

Trump traveled to Sin City to speak at Red Rock Casino Resort Spa and once again test his economic messaging ahead of the fast-approaching midterm elections. During the rally, he made a stunning admission about what he thinks of the Supreme Court justices who have ruled against him.

"You know, the Republican judges or justices, they don't stick together," Trump said. "But these three people that they have," referring to the three liberal Supreme Court Justices, "they all stick together like glue, and I respect that."

"It's too bad they're on because they're horrible for our country," Trump continued. "I'd like to fire them. I would fire them if I could."

The line earned a loud applause from the audience.

Tommy Tuberville takes Trump's border wall idea to another level during wild interview

Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) doesn't think a wall at the southern border is enough. He thinks a wall might be needed around his own state.

Tuberville made the suggestion on Wednesday while speaking on "The Charlie Kirk Show," the podcast created by and still named after the murdered founder of Turning Point USA.

"If we don't straighten out this country's voting and immigration system, we're not going to make it," said Tuberville. "It's going to be over."

"I'm going to go back to Alabama, and hey, we might build a 30-foot wall around our state," he added.

Tuberville is currently running for governor of Alabama, one of a number of Republican senators who have decided not to pursue another term in their current office this year.

He has faced a number of controversies, including allegations that he secretly lives in Florida.

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