By Jana Winter and Sarah N. Lynch
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Kash Patel faced his biggest test yet as FBI director as current and former officials criticized his inaccurate statement that a suspect had been caught in the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, a prominent ally of President Donald Trump.
Moments before officials on the scene of the shooting in Orem, Utah, briefed the press on Wednesday, Patel announced on social media that the person responsible for the shooting was in custody. That claim was quickly contradicted by local officials, leading to hours of confusion before the FBI clarified that two people had been questioned and then released following the incident.
Current and former U.S. officials called Patel’s announcement counterproductive.
“At the outset of an investigation, much of the initial intelligence is typically wrong or slightly off. That’s why what he did yesterday has never been done by any FBI director before him, or any division leadership before,” said retired FBI agent Dan Brunner. “The investigators need to sort through all the initial intelligence before putting out factual evidence … FBI does not run investigations on social media.”
A White House source, granted anonymity to discuss internal discussions, called Patel’s announcement unprofessional and said “his performance is really not acceptable to the White House or the American public” and will be addressed.
Former Homeland Security Department official John Cohen likewise said Patel’s announcement “is unorthodox and could be confusing in that details change quickly.”
The White House said Patel had Trump’s backing and described Reuters’ reporting as despicable “when there’s a crazed killer still on the loose.”
“This is a despicable story from anonymous sources clearly trying to sow distrust amongst the President’s team during a time of utmost unity,” White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told Reuters. “Kash Patel is leading the manhunt to catch the killer of our friend, and everyone is supporting him and trying to be as helpful as possible during this effort, including the President of the United States.”
The FBI did not respond to a request for comment.
The killing of Kirk, a prominent Trump ally, at a Utah college in front of 3,000 people, is the latest incident of political violence in the United States this year.
PATEL’S FIRST BIG TEST
It amounts to the first big test for the FBI director, a Trump loyalist who has pushed to transform the most prominent U.S. law enforcement agency into an instrument of Trump’s America First agenda.
Multiple current and former agents said they were concerned that Patel’s lack of law enforcement experience could impede the progress of the investigation.
Under Patel’s leadership, FBI agents, who typically pursue complex investigations ranging from corruption to national security, have been drafted to investigate political rivals of the president and pursue street crimes in Washington.
Patel has pushed out dozens of FBI employees at the traditionally independent agency who were seen as insufficiently loyal to Trump. Three former FBI officials alleged in a lawsuit filed on Wednesday hours before the shooting that Patel told them he had been ordered to fire anyone who worked on a criminal investigation against Trump after his first White House term.
Among those dismissed: the former top official in the FBI’s Salt Lake City field office, which is now taking the lead on the investigation into Kirk’s death.
FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Bohls, who now heads that office, told reporters on Thursday morning that investigators have found several clues, including the rifle used in the incident, but still had not captured a suspect.
‘SLAP IN THE FACE’
The FBI on Thursday released two photos of a person they were seeking in the probe.
The agency also announced a $100,000 reward for information leading to an arrest – an amount that was dismissed as inadequate by conservative activist Laura Loomer. “This is honestly embarrassing for the FBI and our country. What a slap in the face to Charlie Kirk,” she said on social media.
Before taking the FBI’s top job, Patel was a prominent critic of the agency, alleging that a “deep state” within the government had persecuted Trump. As a congressional staffer, he helped lead an investigation into the FBI’s 2016 probe of the Trump campaign’s contacts with Russia.
As FBI director, Patel has been a vocal advocate for Trump’s agenda and has appeared with Trump at social events – a contrast to prior FBI leaders, who have traditionally presented themselves as nonpartisan professionals independent of the White House’s whims.
He has occasionally gotten crosswise with the administration. In May, he told lawmakers that Trump’s proposed budget did not provide enough money for the FBI, then said the following day that he supported the planned cuts.
Patel was removed earlier this year from his other role serving as the acting director for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was never made clear why he was removed, and replaced with Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll.
(Reporting by Jana Winter and Sarah N. Lynch; writing by Andy Sullivan; editing by Scott Malone and Alistair Bell)
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