Introduction
Introduction Statistics Contact Development Disclaimer Help
.-') _ .-') _
( OO ) ) ( OO ) )
.-----. ,--./ ,--,' ,--./ ,--,'
' .--./ | \ | |\ | \ | |\
| |('-. | \| | )| \| | )
/_) |OO )| . |/ | . |/
|| |`-'| | |\ | | |\ |
(_' '--'\ | | \ | | | \ |
`-----' `--' `--' `--' `--'
lite.cnn.com - on gopher - inofficial
ARTICLE VIEW:
‘It’s unacceptable’: Inside growing concerns about Patel’s FBI
leadership
By Hannah Rabinowitz, Evan Perez, Jeremy Herb, Kristen Holmes, Holmes
Lybrand, CNN
Updated:
3:59 PM EDT, Sat September 13, 2025
Source: CNN
Stepping to the microphone at a news conference Friday morning in Utah,
FBI Director Kash Patel wasted no time explaining what led to the
capture of a suspect in of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
“This is what happens when you let good cops be cops,” Patel said.
Over the next six minutes, Patel lauded the work of the FBI in leading
the investigation into Wednesday’s assassination and its coordination
with state and local law enforcement — while also twice saying the
decision to release photos and videos to the public, which led to the
on Thursday evening, were made at his direction.
But Patel’s upbeat tone contrasted with frustration and anger, both
inside and outside the FBI, over his handling of the most high-profile
moment of his tenure so far. Some FBI employees told CNN they found it
galling for Patel to claim personal credit for the most successful
parts of the investigation.
After all, it was Patel who had posted on Wednesday that a
“subject” was in custody, a claim he had to walk back less than two
hours later. Patel’s style also struck the FBI employees as not in
keeping with how previous FBI directors handled similar situations,
normally trying to credit employees instead of themselves.
Other FBI employees found it ironic that Patel thanked some of the
bureau’s support staff key to investigations — since he has
overseen moves to decimate those ranks.
Patel’s response during the rapid-fire series of events surrounding
Kirk’s horrific murder has led some allies of President Donald Trump
to question both publicly and privately whether he is equipped to
handle the country’s top law enforcement agency.
A MAGA loyalist and member of the first Trump administration, Patel was
a controversial pick to lead the FBI from the start, with many Trump
critics questioning whether he was qualified for the job. But now some
of those concerns have begun seeping into conservative circles that
Patel is a fixture of.
Christopher Rufo, an influential right-wing activist and senior fellow
at the Manhattan Institute, a conservative think tank, Friday that it
was “time for Republicans to assess whether Kash Patel is the right
man to run the FBI.”
“We would be wise to take a moment and ask whether Kash Patel has
what it takes to get this done,” Rufo wrote. “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.”
Conservative commentator Erick Erickson responded in support of the
sentiment. “He’s right. The FBI situation is concerning,” .
The criticism over Patel’s actions in the Kirk investigation isn’t
the first time Patel and his deputy, Dan Bongino, have faced blowback
for their handling of a high-profile episode. The pair got into a at
the White House earlier this year over the handling of the Jeffrey
Epstein files and the administration’s about-face in its decision not
to release all of the documents.
An FBI official defended Patel to CNN, noting that the suspect was only
eventually apprehended after a family member saw photos of him released
by the FBI. The official also pointed out that the arrest of Robinson
came quicker than other recent high-profile manhunts, including that of
Luigi Mangione, who was for five days after allegedly killing
UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
“Over these last few days, what has mattered isn’t ignorant
criticism or petty assumptions — it’s been the pursuit of
justice,” said Erica Knight, a spokeswoman for Patel. “Justice that
was promised, and justice that has now been delivered.”
There is no indication that Patel’s job is at risk. A source familiar
with the matter said Patel had spoken with the president after the
arrest and noted that the president was pleased with the quick work.
“The FBI is working with our law enforcement partners in Utah to
bring to justice the individual allegedly responsible for the horrific
murder of Charlie Kirk,” the FBI said in a statement to CNN, “and
we will continue to be transparent with the American people with real
time updates as we are able.”
White House communications director Steven Cheung said in a statement,
“Anyone who doubts (Patel’s) resolve and dedication — especially
when Charlie was such a close friend to him — simply is using this
extremely sad moment in a disgusting act of political gamesmanship.”
Trump himself praised Patel’s handling of the case, telling on
Saturday, “I am very proud of the FBI. Kash — and everyone else —
they have done a great job.”
A premature social media post
It was just hours after Kirk was shot at a Utah university that Patel
made his most significant misstep of the investigation. In a social
media post, the FBI director said the bureau had a “subject for the
horrific shooting” in custody.
But came just minutes before officials in Utah stood in front of
cameras at a press conference and announced the shooter was still at
large.
The FBI was, in fact, questioning someone in relation to the shooting,
and state and federal officials at the press conference scrambled to
course correct to be in line with Patel. Still, soon after the
conference was over, Patel backtracked by posting that the subject .
Leaders at the Justice Department saw the posts as embarrassing,
privately criticizing Patel for using social media to prematurely
announce that investigators had made a breakthrough only to walk it
back less than two hours later, two sources familiar with the matter
told CNN.
Initially, Patel’s post that the “subject for the horrific
shooting” was in custody prompted some White House officials to
breathe a sigh of relief. After following the investigation closely and
contacting every person who might have knowledge, sources told CNN they
were pleasantly surprised the investigation was wrapping up so quickly.
But as time dragged on without an update, some began to privately
question whether Patel was absolutely certain that they had the suspect
— fears that were confirmed by Patel’s follow-up clarification.
“It’s unacceptable,” one source close to Kirk told CNN after
Patel’s backtrack.
But shortly after the announcement of the arrest, Kirk’s inner circle
was thanking Patel and the FBI. “Thank you, Kash and thank you, Dan.
You told us you wouldn’t stop, you wouldn’t sleep until you got
him. You were men of your word,” Andrew Kolvet, Kirk’s executive
producer and spokesperson, posted on X.
An expletive-ridden outburst
Patel’s rush to social media — followed by an embarrassing walk
back — only added to the intense pressure already bearing down on him
as the hours stretched on after the shooting and no suspect was
identified. A close personal friend of Kirk, Patel felt the weight
personally and professionally, sources said.
That pressure appeared to be on display a day later, when Patel lashed
out at agents during an intense and expletive-ridden virtual video
meeting Thursday afternoon with FBI teams across the country, according
to sources familiar with the matter. The episode was first by the New
York Times.
Patel accused agents of not giving him information fast enough,
including not waking him in the middle of the night when images were
first discovered of the suspect, the sources said. He focused his anger
at the Salt Lake City special agent in charge, who had only recently
taken over the job after his predecessor was forced out.
One source defended Patel, pointing to his relationship with Kirk and
noting that it showed how passionate he was about catching the killer.
Several current and former law enforcement officials told CNN that
Patel and others in the administration may have also hampered the
effort to find Kirk’s murderer by firing dozens of senior-level
officials who had decades of combined knowledge into the FBI’s
sophisticated tactics in finding and arresting criminals.
That included the former head of FBI’s Salt Lake City field office
— whose jurisdiction covers the university where the shooting took
place and who was one of the people forced out during an early-August
purge.
Three of those fired FBI agents , as well as the FBI and DOJ, alleging
that Patel carried out political firings at the behest of the White
House or in reaction to online criticisms.
Missteps compound
After Patel’s social media backtracking Wednesday, officials at the
Justice Department, FBI and US Marshals Service became hesitant to say
anything about the investigation to avoid another public misstep,
sources familiar with the matter said.
But criticism of the investigation’s handling went beyond Patel’s
social media gaffe. There was frustration from some officials who
thought precious time was wasted the first day after the shooting,
including by the FBI not immediately releasing images of the shooter to
the public. While it’s not necessarily unusual the agency held off,
sources say, the officials believed that the bureau could have acted
faster.
On Thursday morning, the FBI released its first of a person of
interest, which showed a man in sunglasses and a dark blue cap wearing
a black T-shirt with a large American flag and bald eagle on the front
walking up a stairwell.
Another misstep, according to people close to the investigation, was
that the FBI held onto the rifle Robinson allegedly used until late
Thursday before turning it over to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms and Explosives to begin analysis. Bondi and Deputy Attorney
General Todd Blanche had to intervene, insisting that the weapon be
sent immediately, the sources said.
As the chaotic investigation continued, a series of unverified,
preliminary tips from the ATF were leaked to the public that claimed
agents found engravings that they interpreted as “expressing
transgender and anti-fascist ideology” on ammunition inside a weapon
believed to be the one used by Robinson.
None of the bullet casings recovered alongside the gun appear to have
been engraved with statements or symbols related to transgender people,
despite earlier reports that they expressed transgender “ideology.”
Officials who spoke during a news conference Friday did not address
whether the inscriptions included references to trans people, but none
of the writings they described appear to have any connection to that
community. One law enforcement source told CNN that some of the
markings instead appear to be a reference to video games.
On Thursday evening, Patel and Bongino personally traveled to Utah and
toured the scene of Kirk’s assassination. The FBI director then stood
silently behind state officials as they played of the shooter fleeing
that scene.
Later that night, the suspect would be brought into custody. Robinson
was identified by his father in FBI photos and confessed to his father
when confronted, officials said.
The next morning, the news was announced first by Trump during an
appearance on “Fox and Friends.”
This story was updated with additional details.
<- back to index
You are viewing proxied material from codevoid.de. The copyright of proxied material belongs to its original authors. Any comments or complaints in relation to proxied material should be directed to the original authors of the content concerned. Please see the disclaimer for more details.