Politicizing the murder of Charlie King to go after free speech is not a legacy, I believe, Charlie King would have wanted, Nadler told FBI Director Kash Patel. His comment came a moment after he asked Patel if he was aware the Trump administration was using Kirk's death as an excuse to crackdown on liberty and freedom of speech. Patel said he could only speak for the FBI and was not aware of such efforts.
I don't think you're fit to be in the bureau, but here's the thing, Mr. Patel. I think you are not going to be around long. I think this might be your last oversight hearing. Because as much as you supplicate yourself to the will of Donald Trump and not the Constitution of the United States of America, Donald Trump has shown us in his first term and in this term, he is not loyal to people like you. He will cut you loose.
The former federal prosecutor lit into FBI Director Kash Patel for botching the aftermath of conservative activist Charlie Kirk's assassination. Patel has faced intense criticism from inside and outside the administration for his handling of the high-profile case including for his announcement that authorities had a suspect in custody in the early hours after the shooting on Wednesday, only to later walk that back.
I got to ask you about this Fox News report by Jacqui Heinrich, the White House correspondent, who says you and Kash are under fire, political fire. She reports the White House, Pam Bondi, Todd Blanche, your deputy have no confidence in Kash Patel. Citing one source, Pam in particular cannot stand him. Blanche either, they said, referring to Pam Bondi and Todd Blanche. The headline is that knives are out for Kash Patel.
That led some in MAGA to question whether Patel was capable of leading the Kirk investigation, much less the crackdowns on political violence the movement desires. What they're saying: Patel "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," right-wing writer Christopher Rufo wrote on X.
The false assurance was more than a slip. It spotlighted the high-stakes uncertainty surrounding Patel's leadership of the bureau when its credibility - and his own - are under extraordinary pressure. Patel now approaches congressional oversight hearings this coming week facing not just questions about that investigation but broader doubts about whether he can stabilize a federal law enforcement agency fragmented by political fights and internal upheaval.
Brian Driscoll, the former acting director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), along with two other former senior FBI officials, sued the Trump administration and FBI Director Kash Patel on Wednesday, alleging they were dismissed for political reasons. The three officials said in the lawsuit, filed in a Washington DC federal court, that they were fired by FBI Director Kash Patel in a "campaign of retribution" to purge officials considered disloyal to President Donald Trump.
The FBI raided the Maryland home of John Bolton, a former national security advisor from President Donald Trump's first term, on Friday morning. Agents entered the house at 7 a.m. and searched for classified documents as part of an investigation ordered by Kash Patel, the FBI director. Minutes later, Patel wrote on X, "NO ONE is above the law... @FBI agents on mission."
The FBI is searching Bolton's home as part of an investigation into handling of classified documents, the source has said. A journalist affiliated with AFP news agency reported witnessing FBI agents entering Bolton's home in Bethesda, Maryland, located outside of Washington DC. The New York Times reported that the case was related to whether Bolton "illegally shared or possessed classified information." Bolton has not been detained or charged with any crime, the AP source said.
In releasing the declassified Durham annex - a document, like the Epstein files, in the custody of FBI and DOJ - Kash released not just information on several prominent uncharged third parties, but unsealed and disseminated "unfounded theories" about them.
