Kash Patel
Kash Patel is the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, confirmed by the Senate in February 2025. He previously served as chief of staff at the Department of Defense and as a National Security Council official during Trump's first term. A longtime critic of the FBI's senior leadership, his appointment drew scrutiny from career law enforcement officials and members of both parties.
2026 Events (17)
FBI told agents to stop investigating ICE confrontations while officials publicly denied any policy change
In guidance circulated in mid-July 2026, federal agents were told the FBI would no longer investigate physical confrontations involving ICE officers, shifting review of such incidents to ICE's own Homeland Security Investigations unit. The Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security publicly denied any policy change despite the guidance having already been distributed to agents nationwide.
FBI Director Patel ordered 260 analysts from all field offices to surge on 2020 Georgia election investigation
On July 2, 2026, FBI Director Kash Patel ordered every FBI field office to immediately contribute intelligence analysts to a priority investigation in Atlanta focused on individuals connected to the 2020 Georgia presidential election. An unclassified memo from the Directorate of Intelligence and Criminal Division specified a total of 260 analysts, assigned each office a quota of records checks to complete by July 17, and authorized overtime including weekends and holidays. The investigation was based on a referral from Kurt Olsen, a White House official heading the administration's election integrity portfolio, despite Georgia's 2020 result having been confirmed by both a machine recount and a full hand recount of every county in the state.
FBI expands Ohio Organizing Collaborative probe to affiliated national elections network
Federal agents have expanded the FBI's criminal investigation of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative (OOC), a pro-democracy voter registration nonprofit raided on June 11, 2026, to include an affiliated national elections advocacy network. The expansion suggests a broader targeting of voter registration efforts ahead of the 2026 midterms, with evidence suggesting pre-election surveillance more than a year prior.
FBI Director Kash Patel posted sealed investigation details on social media while agents still sought suspects
On June 16, 2026, FBI Director Kash Patel publicly posted details of an active, court-sealed FBI investigation on social media, revealing five arrests in an alleged plot to attack a UFC event at the White House while agents were still searching for additional suspects. Multiple FBI veterans told The Guardian the post may have violated the sealed court order and the FBI's own disciplinary code. Secret Service Deputy Director Matt Quinn implicitly rebuked Patel, noting that "the Secret Service led that investigation from the beginning" and that the case was "ongoing."
House Judiciary Democrats allege Kash Patel directed $1M+ in unlawful FBI bonuses to loyalist 'Payback Squad'
Rep. Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, launched an investigation on June 16, 2026, into an alleged scheme by FBI Director Kash Patel to direct over $1 million in taxpayer-funded bonuses to a small group of loyalist agents on his personal security detail and "Director's Advisory Team," many of whom called themselves the "Payback Squad" for their willingness to pursue political targets and overlook legal requirements. Some agents received five consecutive $8,000 payments totaling nearly $40,000 per person, exceeding federal statutory pay limits.
FBI raids Ohio Organizing Collaborative, a voter-registration group
On June 11, 2026, FBI agents raided the Cleveland offices of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, a nonprofit that runs statewide voter-registration programs, and fanned out across Columbus, Dayton, and Cincinnati to question current and former staff, serve subpoenas, and seize electronic devices. A board member estimated that more than 100 agents were involved and said investigators alleged voter fraud while presenting no evidence of wrongdoing. The raids came roughly five months before the 2026 midterm elections and drew condemnation from Ohio Democrats and democracy advocates as an attempt to intimidate voter-registration work.
FBI fires five analysts who worked on withdrawn 2023 'Richmond memo'
On June 5, 2026, the FBI fired five employees — four intelligence analysts and a supervisory analyst — who were involved in creating the withdrawn 2023 "Richmond memo" on "Radical Traditionalist Catholic" ideology, a document long targeted by President Trump's allies. An internal FBI review and a DOJ inspector general review had both previously found no malicious intent and no discriminatory conduct, and the employees had already been admonished, with corrective process changes adopted. Their lawyer called the firings "manifestly unjust, completely unsupported by the facts."
FBI moved to interview Milwaukee police and Wisconsin election officials in DOJ 2020-election reinvestigation
In May 2026, FBI agents working for a Trump-administration Justice Department probe of Wisconsin's 2020 presidential election moved to interview Milwaukee Police Department officers who had been posted at polling places and the city's central ballot-counting site on Election Night 2020, and sought interviews with current and former Milwaukee election officials and Wisconsin Elections Commission deputy administrator Robert Kehoe. The Wisconsin effort extended a multi-state federal campaign — already underway in Georgia, Arizona, and Michigan — to reinvestigate Joe Biden's 2020 wins despite audits, recounts, and court rulings that found no widespread fraud. Election-law experts described the interviews as intended to intimidate election officials, noting that the federal statute of limitations for 2020-election conduct had expired.
FBI omitted Patel's Navy-arranged 'VIP snorkel' at USS Arizona from public trip account
The Associated Press reported, based on government emails obtained through a public records request, that the FBI's public news releases about Director Kash Patel's August 2025 official trip to Australia and New Zealand omitted both a two-day personal stop in Hawaii on the return leg and a Navy-coordinated "VIP Snorkel" around the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor — a sunken battleship and military cemetery normally closed to recreational diving. Flight-tracking data showed the FBI Gulfstream G550 used by the director remained on Hawaii for two nights during the second stay before continuing on to Patel's adopted hometown of Las Vegas. A Navy spokesperson confirmed the outing but said the service could not determine who initiated it.
FBI opens criminal leak probe targeting the sources behind The Atlantic's reporting on Kash Patel
In early May 2026, MS NOW reported — with corroboration from PBS NewsHour, TheWrap, Poynter and Democracy Now — that the FBI had opened a criminal "insider threat" investigation into the sourcing behind Atlantic reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick's story documenting FBI Director Kash Patel's excessive drinking and erratic conduct. The probe is highly unusual: it does not stem from any disclosure of classified information and instead targets leaks to a journalist, a posture in which reporters have historically been treated only as witnesses. FBI agents assigned to the matter reportedly objected that they were not supposed to pursue it, and the bureau publicly denied the investigation.
Federal grand jury indicts ex-FBI Director James Comey a second time over '86 47' post
A federal grand jury in the Eastern District of North Carolina indicted former FBI Director James Comey on April 28, 2026, on two counts arising from a May 2025 Instagram post of seashells arranged to read "86 47," which the Justice Department casts as a death threat against President Trump. The charges follow the 2025 collapse of an earlier DOJ case against Comey and the dismissal weeks earlier of Attorney General Pam Bondi, whom Trump faulted for not pursuing his agenda aggressively enough.
FBI opened inquiry into NYT reporter Elizabeth Williamson over her story on Director Patel's girlfriend
The New York Times reported on April 22, 2026, that FBI agents searched bureau databases for information on Times reporter Elizabeth Williamson and recommended opening a preliminary investigation into whether her February 28 reporting on FBI Director Kash Patel's decision to provide his girlfriend Alexis Wilkins with round-the-clock SWAT-team security amounted to federal stalking. Justice Department officials ended the inquiry after determining there was no legal basis to proceed and over concerns it was retaliatory. The FBI denied that Williamson was "personally investigated" but confirmed agents had queried databases and interviewed Wilkins about her, framing the work as victim-interview activity tied to a separate death-threat case.
FBI Director Kash Patel files $250 million defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic over reporting on alleged drinking and mismanagement
On April 20, 2026, FBI Director Kash Patel filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against The Atlantic and reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick over her April 17 article describing what witnesses called "bouts of excessive drinking" and unexplained absences and reporting mismanagement at the bureau. Patel had publicly threatened to sue both before publication — telling the magazine "I'll see you in court — bring your checkbook" — and after the story ran. The Atlantic called the suit "meritless" and said it would "vigorously defend" its reporting and journalists.
Trump White House declassified closed FBI file on Rep. Swalwell during his gubernatorial campaign
On March 23, 2026, the Trump White House declassified a decade-old, closed FBI investigative file on then-Rep. Eric Swalwell's past association with suspected Chinese intelligence operative Christine Fang, months before California's June 2026 gubernatorial primary in which Swalwell was a leading Democratic candidate. FBI Director Kash Patel had pushed for the file's release even though the bureau's own 2017 review found no corruption violations by Swalwell. Swalwell's attorneys sent Patel a cease-and-desist letter warning the release would violate federal privacy law and the Justice Department's norm against election-season investigatory action targeting a candidate.
FBI Director Kash Patel admitted under oath that FBI buys Americans' location data from brokers without a warrant
On March 18, 2026, FBI Director Kash Patel testified under oath at a Senate Intelligence Committee worldwide threats hearing in Washington, D.C. that the FBI purchases Americans' location data from commercial data brokers rather than obtaining a warrant, in response to questioning from Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.). Patel said the practice is "consistent with the constitution and the laws under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act," directly reversing predecessor Christopher Wray's 2023 sworn testimony that the bureau had stopped the practice. Wyden called the warrantless purchase "an outrageous end run around the fourth amendment."
FBI fires about 10 employees who worked on Trump's Mar-a-Lago classified-documents case
Around February 25, 2026, the FBI dismissed roughly 10 employees who had worked on the criminal investigation into President Trump's retention of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. The firings came hours after FBI Director Kash Patel publicly characterized the inquiry — under which his and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles's phone records had been subpoenaed — as Biden-era overreach, and followed reporting that those subpoenas had surfaced. The bureau dismissed additional personnel the next day, bringing the total to roughly a dozen.
FBI opens criminal probe of Minneapolis anti-ICE activists' Signal chats
On Monday, January 26, 2026, FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau had opened a criminal investigation into encrypted Signal group chats used by Minneapolis anti-ICE activists to share descriptions and license plates of suspected immigration-enforcement vehicles. Patel disclosed the probe in an interview with conservative commentator Benny Johnson, saying it was prompted by a viral X thread from influencer Cam Higby, who claimed to have "infiltrated" the chats, and that the FBI was examining whether the activity crossed legal thresholds such as "doxxing" agents. Free-speech advocates noted that observing and documenting on-duty law enforcement is generally lawful and warned the investigation could chill protected organizing.
2025 Events (9)
DOJ brings first terrorism charges under Trump's Antifa designation; two indicted for July 4 attack on Fort Worth ICE facility
The Justice Department unsealed its first federal terrorism indictment on October 16, 2025, under President Trump's executive order designating Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization, charging Zachary Evetts and Cameron Arnold with providing material support for terrorism and attempting to murder federal law enforcement officers. Prosecutors alleged the two belonged to an "Antifa cell" that orchestrated a July 4, 2025, attack on an ICE detention facility near Fort Worth, Texas. Attorney General Pam Bondi declared, "Antifa is a left-wing terrorist organization. They will be prosecuted as such," while FBI Director Kash Patel announced over 20 arrests tied to the case and "related Antifa networks."
DOJ indicts former national security adviser Bolton on 18 classified-document counts; third Trump adversary charged in a month
A federal grand jury in Maryland indicted former National Security Adviser John Bolton on October 16, 2025, on 18 counts of mishandling classified national defense information — eight counts of transmitting and ten counts of unlawfully retaining material emailed via personal accounts without security clearances. Bolton became the third prominent Trump critic charged within roughly three weeks, following former FBI Director James Comey (September 25) and New York Attorney General Letitia James. The Biden-era Justice Department had previously reviewed the same conduct and declined to bring charges.
FBI Director Patel fired three career agents who worked on Jack Smith's 2020-election investigation, citing no cause
Between October 7 and November 4, 2025, FBI Director Kash Patel fired three career FBI agents — Michelle Ball, Jamie Garman, and Blaire Toleman, each with eight to fourteen years of service — who had previously been assigned to support Special Counsel Jack Smith's investigation into Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Their termination letters accused them of "weaponizing" their positions but cited no specific misconduct finding and gave them no opportunity to respond. The firings were part of a broader purge of FBI personnel perceived as having worked against Trump's interests.
FBI Director Patel fires about 15 agents for kneeling during 2020 George Floyd protests, reversing predecessor's no-violation finding
On September 26, 2025, FBI Director Kash Patel fired approximately 15–20 career FBI agents for being photographed kneeling during a racial justice protest in Washington, D.C., in June 2020 following George Floyd's killing. Then-Director Christopher Wray had reviewed the incident at the time and found no policy violation. Under Patel, the FBI reopened the matter earlier in 2025, initially demoting the agents before proceeding to terminations.
Trump signs NSPM-7 directing DOJ and FBI to investigate political beliefs as domestic terrorism indicators
On September 25, 2025, President Trump signed National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 (NSPM-7), directing the Department of Justice, FBI, and Joint Terrorism Task Forces to investigate and disrupt individuals based on political speech and ideology—designating "anti-Christian," "anti-American," and "anti-capitalist" beliefs as domestic terrorism indicators. The directive authorized pre-crime investigation of citizens before any violent act occurs and directed the IRS and Treasury to trace funding of target organizations. FBI Director Kash Patel publicly pledged to pursue political targets "like the domestic terrorists that they are."
FBI Director Patel and Deputy AG Blanche confirmed closure of Homan bribery sting probe, called it 'baseless investigation'
On September 21, 2025, FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche jointly confirmed to ABC News that the Department of Justice had closed a federal bribery probe into Tom Homan, the White House's border enforcement czar. The investigation, inherited from the Biden administration, had been predicated on undercover FBI recordings of Homan allegedly accepting $50,000 in cash from agents posing as contractors seeking government contracts. Patel and Blanche publicly labeled the probe a "baseless investigation," stating it had found "no credible evidence of any criminal wrongdoing."
FBI searched home and office of former national security adviser Bolton; Trump privately directed investigation toward vocal critic
On August 22, 2025, FBI agents searched the Maryland home and Washington office of former national security adviser John Bolton as part of a classified-information investigation. Bolton, a vocal Trump critic since leaving the administration in 2019, was not detained and no charges were filed at the time. The Washington Post reported that Trump had privately pointed a finger at Bolton in the days immediately preceding the raids, while the Biden-era Justice Department had reviewed the same underlying materials and declined to prosecute.
GSA and FBI scrapped Congress's mandated Greenbelt, Maryland headquarters site, redirecting $1.1 billion to the Reagan Building
On July 1, 2025, the General Services Administration and FBI Director Kash Patel announced the FBI would abandon its planned move to Greenbelt, Maryland — a site GSA had selected in 2022-23 under a congressionally appropriated $1.1 billion project — and relocate instead into the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, D.C. Maryland and Prince George's County sued in November 2025, and a federal judge ruled in August 2026 that the switch violated federal law and blocked it.
FBI Director Patel ordered 2,000 agents permanently shifted to immigration enforcement, gutting counterterrorism capacity
FBI Director Kash Patel directed field offices nationwide to permanently shift approximately 2,000 special agents — roughly 45% of agents in the 25 largest field offices — to full-time immigration enforcement operations during the week of May 12–14, 2025. The directive siphoned resources from counterterrorism, counterintelligence, organized crime, and fraud investigations; individual field offices lost half or more of their agents to immigration work, and the Justice Department simultaneously deprioritized white-collar and corporate crime investigation.