All posts tagged "kash patel"

FBI Director Kash Patel 's leadership came under question this week during the investigation of right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk's assassination.

Authorities announced the arrest Friday of 22-year-old Tyler Robinson in the fatal shooting of the conservative activist at Utah Valley University, but Patel's handling of the investigation came under fire after he incorrectly asserted the shooter had been captured shortly after the slaying, forcing a swift retraction, and current and former FBI agents criticized his leadership.

“It was amateur hour,” said Sen. Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee. “He was doing a running commentary. Historically, the FBI keeps its mouth closed until it believes it’s the right time and the right message.”

Robinson was arrested after his father notified the family's pastor, who then alerted law enforcement, and many social media users said the case was cracked more in spite of Patel's leadership than because of it.

"Kash Patel Awards Himself FBI Medal of Valor For Heroically Being Told About The Alleged Shooter Turning Himself In," posted writer A.G. Pasquella.

"'FBI Director Kash Patel did not disclose for hours that Charlie Kirk’s suspected killer had been arrested so that President Donald Trump could make the announcement on television," said Bluesky user "Murdered by Bluesky," linking to a Daily Beast report. "It is hard to imagine a more incompetent, corrupt FBI leader and that's saying a lot given the FBI's tenure."

"The FBI under Kash Patel was utterly incompetent this week, and the only thing that ultimately saved their asses was a father having enough integrity to turn his son into the authorities," opined writer Charlotte Clymer.

"Kash Patel has the look of a guy who just Googled 'how to FBI' five minutes before the press conference," noted Bluesky user Sundae Gurl.

"Patel saying 'see you in Valhalla' to someone who very much identified as a Christian is a perfect example of how dumb everything is right now," sighed journalist Steve Mullis.

"Spoiler: the police did not, in fact, 'get him,' his dad turned him in and all Kash Patel’s FBI did was repeatedly release false information," added writer Jill Filipovic.

"Kash Patel claiming credit for solving an investigation where they got the wrong suspects twice & had to beg public for help which led his own father turning him in does not make a historic win for FBI," said comedian Noel Casler. "All I saw from Kash was that little cross-eyed mf--- peacocking at pressers."

"The FBI agents I've met take their jobs really seriously," posted reporter Billy Binion. "I'd like to think Kash Patel means well, but I can't imagine how it must feel to have to answer to him right now. He...did not meet the moment."

"I'm grateful that Utah authorities have captured the suspect in the Charlie Kirk assassination, and think it is time for Republicans to assess whether Kash Patel is the right man to run the FBI," added conservative activist Christopher Rufo. "He performed terribly in the last few days, and it's not clear whether he has the operational expertise to investigate, infiltrate, and disrupt the violent movements — of whatever ideology — that threaten the peace in the United States."

Despite the arrest of the young man who allegedly shot far-right conservative Charlie Kirk, an influential advocate for the government dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies claimed FBI Director Kash Patel still does not appear to be up to the job.

In a post on X, Chris Rufo, a political analyst and New College of Florida board member appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), claimed he has been talking to other conservatives who agree Patel has to go.

He wrote, “I'm grateful that Utah authorities have captured the suspect in the Charlie Kirk assassination, and think it is time for Republicans to assess whether Kash Patel is the right man to run the FBI. He performed terribly in the last few days, and it's not clear whether he has the operational expertise to investigate, infiltrate, and disrupt the violent movements—of whatever ideology—that threaten the peace in the United States.”

He then suggested, “There are two ways forward. First, we enter a spiral of violence, which would be a catastrophe for the country. Second, federal law enforcement makes a credible plan to restore the civil order, initiates a campaign to disrupt domestic terror networks in all fifty states, and sets them in motion with the goal of preventing further bloodshed, all of which can and must be done in a principled, legal, nonpartisan manner.”

According to the conservative analyst, “We would be wise to take a moment and ask whether Kash Patel has what it takes to get this done. I've been on the phone the last few days with many conservative leaders, all of whom wholeheartedly support the Trump Administration and none of whom are confident that the current structure of the FBI is up to this task.”

Rufo, it should be noted, successfully led the charge to force Harvard University president Claudine Gay, a Black woman, to resign, and was partly responsible for falsely accusing African migrants of eating cats in Dayton, Ohio, which was taken up by Donald Trump and JD Vance despite no evidence.

Under pressure from the White House and from the MAGA base, a furious Kash Patel lashed out at his aides on Thursday over the slow pace of the Charlie Kirk murder investigation during a tense meeting at FBI headquarters, the New York Times is reporting.

With scrutiny increasing on an investigation that appears to be spinning its wheels and has been hamstrung by blunders, the FBI director and his deputy Dan Bongino, are both pointing the finger at their subordinates, with Patel calling what has transpired a “Mickey Mouse operation” when he was not swearing at them.

According to the Times’ Glenn Thrush, Devlin Barrett and Adam Goldman, Patel and Bongino “... made it clear they were under intense pressure to catch the killer of Mr. Kirk. They expressed themselves with such fierce urgency that, in the view of some participants, it hinted at another motive: to prove they were up to the task.”

Patel is already being second-guessed after taking to X and boasting about suspects in the murder of the far-right activist who have been taken into custody, only to have to swiftly walk those back sometimes within an hour.

Noting that Patel and Bongino hopped on a plane and flew to the scene of the crime on Thursday, with Patel appearing at a delayed press conference, the Times is reporting that Patel was particularly incensed “that agents in Salt Lake City waited nearly 12 hours to show him a photo of the suspected killer, according to three people familiar on the exchange.”

“Whether Mr. Patel can overcome his embarrassing early stumble in posts online about the Kirk investigation remains to be seen,” the Times is reporting before adding, “It was highly unusual for the director of the F.B.I., known for its button-down messaging and a longstanding reluctance to compromise investigations by freely sharing information with the public.”

You can read more here.

FBI insiders and former officials are watching in horror as current FBI Director Kash Patel has taken the front and center position heading up the investigation into the murder of far-right conservative Charlie Kirk.

That is according to MSNBC’s Ken Dilainian who stated that what has transpired since the shooting at a Utah college is being regarded as an “embarrassment,” with all signs pointing to the Donald Trump appointee.

Speaking with MSNBC host Anna Cabrera, Dilainian said Patel will long be remembered for his fumbling on social media –– and not in a good way.

At issue were tweets sent out by the director claiming that suspects had been taken into custody, only for the story to change within hours.

As the manhunt for the shooter continued, the MSNBC journalist explained, “Anna, the current and former FBI officials I've been talking to about this episode last night are frankly calling it an embarrassment and they're saying this should never happen.”

“To answer your question, the FBI does appear to have changed the way it's communicated in the sense that the FBI director is no longer freelance-tweeting” he elaborated. “He is essentially posting the official statements that appear to be carefully vetted.joint statements between the FBI and the Utah Department of Public Safety. and they're sort of carefully putting out exactly what they know and trying not to go beyond that.”

“But look,” he observed. “You know, Kash Patel inexplicably essentially said that they had the guy and then had to retract that and has not explained, nor has the FBI explained how that mistake happened. That was an embarrassment in the annals of the FBI, and it's not something that ever should happen.”

- YouTube youtu.be

A new lawsuit filed by three fired FBI agents alleges that FBI Director Kash Patel told at least one of them that passing vetting by President Donald Trump’s transition team would be easy—so long as he hadn’t voted for Vice President Kamala Harris, among other criteria.

Legal experts circulated the suit online, identifying the plaintiffs as Brian Driscoll, former acting FBI director; Steve Jensen, former assistant director in charge of the Washington, D.C. field office; and Spencer Evans, former special agent in charge of the Las Vegas field office.

MSNBC reported Wednesday that Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi carried out the firings under orders from the White House and Justice Department. According to the lawsuit, Patel told at least one agent, “his ability to keep his own job depended on the removal of agents who worked on cases involving the President,” and stated there was nothing he or Driscoll could do to prevent the firings.

Reporters Ken Dilanian and Carol Leonnig note that the 69-page complaint claims the men were the targets of “politically motivated retribution” and are seeking to vindicate their constitutional and legal rights. If their allegations are true, it would reveal FBI leadership “consumed by the whims of a Trump White House that targeted employees solely for political reasons.”

The suit further asserts that Patel told FBI employees they could be fired regardless of retirement or eligibility status. Driscoll recounts being told point-blank that “the FBI tried to put the president in jail and he hasn’t forgotten it.”

Even though agents have no say in which cases they are assigned, the lawsuit claims Trump demanded that anyone connected to investigations involving him be removed.

Firing the agents without cause violates internal FBI protocols and federal law, and the filing notes that Patel was fully aware of this, even acknowledging at one point that he knew he could be sued.

Read the full filing here.

FBI Director Kash Patel's girlfriend is suing a former agent who is claiming whistleblower protections after he alleged she was a spy and part of a "honeypot" operation.

CNBC reported Friday that Alexis Wilkins filed a lawsuit against Kyle Seraphin, claiming he "has maliciously lied" about her by “falsely asserting that she—an American-born country singer—is an agent of a foreign government, assigned to manipulate and compromise the Director of the FBI,” the lawsuit alleges.

Seraphin, a conservative podcaster, refers to himself as a "recovering FBI agent," the report noted. Wilkins claims that he is using the accusations against her as "self-enriching clickbait."

Seraphin, in response, claimed on his show that he never directly accused Wilkins of being a spy, adding that similar rumors have circulated widely online. However, the lawsuit contends that, as a former counterintelligence FBI agent, Seraphin’s comments carry serious weight and can’t be dismissed as exaggeration or internet gossip. Indeed, Seraphin never says Wilkins' name when speaking about it.

Through her attorney, Wilkins flatly denies any ties to Israel, intelligence agencies, or covert activity.

The complaint continues, noting, “Ms. Wilkins is not even Jewish, let alone Israeli, and has never set foot in Israel,” calling Seraphin’s claims both baseless and insulting.

The suit also emphasizes that labeling her a “honeypot” essentially accuses her of being an agent of a foreign government attempting to undermine U.S. national security and law enforcement, which amounts to an accusation of treason.

Patel “has had his own little ‘honeypot’ issue that’s been going on of late, so we’re just going to acknowledge it real publicly,” Seraphin said on the podcast episode cited in the lawsuit.

“He’s got a girlfriend that is half his age, who is apparently is both a country music singer, a political commentator on Rumble, a friend of John Rich through [FBI deputy Director Dan] Bongino, who also now owns a big chunk of Rumble, and she’s also a former Mossad agent in what is like the equivalent of their NSA," he continued.

“But I’m sure that’s totally because, like, she’s really looking for like a cross-eyed, you know, kind of thickish built, super cool bro who’s almost 50 years old who’s Indian in America,” Seraphin said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Like it has nothing to do with the fact that uh we’re really close to the Trump administration,” he added. “Anyway, I’m sure that’s totally just like love. That’s what real love looks like.”

The suit asks for $5 million in damages.

Read the full report here.