WASHINGTON — FBI Director Kash Patel is likely to face intense scrutiny during two congressional hearings this week amid questions about his leadership of the FBI and his handling of the investigation into conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
Patel is set to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday and the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday for previously scheduled oversight hearings that will dive into his tenure at the FBI, which has experienced high-level departures and the creation of a co-deputy director position that was filled this week by former Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, who will work alongside Deputy Director Dan Bongino, Patel’s fellow ex-podcaster.
Patel faces a lawsuit from three FBI leaders he fired, who say they were unlawfully targeted so Patel could stay in President Donald Trump’s good graces. The lawsuit, filed against Patel, as well as Attorney General Pam Bondi, the FBI, the Justice Department and the Executive Office of the President, paints a portrait of Patel as obsessed with social media, particularly X, and worried about keeping his job if he did not remove agents involved in former criminal cases against Trump. The FBI declined to comment on the lawsuit.
Patel has also come under fire for his handling of the Kirk investigation. NBC News first reported that Patel had dinner at the exclusive New York City restaurant Rao’s on the night Kirk was killed. He said on X that night that “the subject for the horrific shooting” was “in custody.” Roughly 90 minutes later, he posted that that person had been released.
The next day, Patel flew out to Utah, where Kirk was killed, and he has since touted run-of-the-mill investigative steps, including the decision to release photos of the suspect, which is standard operating procedure for the bureau. In an initial appearance with Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, seeking the public’s help in finding the shooter, Patel did not make a statement. In a follow-up news conference Friday after a 22-year-old suspect was turned in by a family friend and arrested, Patel showered Trump with praise, crediting his support for the bureau for the arrest.
Criticism of Patel has been heavily featured in the media, including a recent Fox News headline declaring: “Knives are out for embattled FBI Director Kash Patel, despite Trump support.”
Asked about Trump’s view, a White House official Friday defended Patel’s handling of the Kirk killing. “Director Patel is working night and day on this case. Anyone who doubts his resolve and dedication — especially when Charlie was such a close friend to him — simply is using this extremely sad moment in disgusting act of political gamesmanship. The focus is justice, and this killer will face the full wrath of the justice system,” the official said.
Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, said he expects that “the botched announcements and reports related to the Kirk assassination” will be a topic at Tuesday’s hearing, as well as FBI firings since Patel took office.
“The recent lawsuit reflected that professionals who have given their lives to the FBI have been virtually dismissed because they had the audacity to do a Jan. 6 investigation, as they were ordered to do,” Durbin told reporters. “And that, to me, is an indication of the political bent of this administration at this law enforcement agency.”
Republican Sens. Josh Hawley of Missouri and Thom Tillis of North Carolina agreed that the FBI’s handling of the Kirk assassination would be a major topic Tuesday but expressed support for Patel.
“Look, those things are fluid,” Tillis told reporters, arguing that if Patel is facing criticism for “talking about the potential suspects or persons of interest … too soon, that’s kind of weak.”
“I think that he’s doing better than many people expect, because he’s got people at either end of the spectrum mad at him,” he said.
Hawley said there would be many questions about the Kirk shooting “in terms of how the investigation is proceeding, how wide the net’s being cast.” Asked about Patel’s performance at the FBI, Hawley told reporters, “As long as the president has confidence in him.”
Said Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo.: “I think Kash Patel is doing a good job, and I hope he goes after these left-wing terrorist organizations, too. I’m sure I’ll be asking about that.”
During the Trump administration, the FBI has focused its resources on assisting with immigration enforcement, as well as assisting with a law enforcement crackdown on street crime in Washington. Sporadic firings and voluntary exits — including the departure of an experienced official who headed the FBI’s Salt Lake City office — have kept FBI employees on edge, multiple current and former law enforcement officials said. Thousands of FBI employees who took part in the bureau’s sprawling investigation into the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol still have worries about being targeted by the administration, which demanded a list of names of employees shortly after Trump took office.
Yamiche Alcindor contributed.
