Kash Patel’s early requests as the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s new director indicate that he does not trust the agency he was named to lead.
Soon after being confirmed by the Senate in February, Patel, whose critics have branded him a conspiracy theorist, inquired about hiring his own private security detail, people with knowledge of the matter told The Wall Street Journal.
As director, Patel is automatically assigned a team of FBI agents charged with ensuring his safety, so the request indicates that he is not willing to place his life in the hands of his own agents.
In another unusual ask, Patel inquired about how to get a secure phone line directly to the Oval Office from both his FBI office and his home, according to the Journal. He did not wish to go through the FBI landline in his office.
Under the usual chain of command, the FBI director would typically get in contact with the president through the attorney general. All FBI directors since J. Edgar Hoover have sought to maintain distance from the White House as a show of independence.
Patel, however, is a loyal ally of President Donald Trump.
“Director Patel is aggressively working to deliver on removing criminals from our streets, restoring law and order, and ensuring agents have the resources they need to perform their duties effectively,” FBI spokesperson Ben Williamson told the Journal. “We have absolutely zero interest in engaging with false leaks or distractions that undermine that mission.”
The FBI did not immediately return the Daily Beast’s request for comment on Patel’s reported requests.
Patel was among Trump’s most controversial administration picks. Every single Democratic senator, as well as two Republicans, voted against his confirmation, but Patel still made it through.
The reservation wasn’t just that Patel, who was a national security adviser in Trump’s first administration, had a complete lack of experience at the FBI. His critics have also labeled him an unbridled conspiracy theorist.
Patel authored a children’s picture book that pushed the claim that former President Joe Biden rigged the 2020 election against Trump. As a commentator at The Epoch Times, Patel often labeled his political opposition and even the FBI as part of “the deep state.” He has also expressed a sympathetic attitude toward the QAnon movement, which posits that the Democratic Party is a pedophilic cabal.
In February, Patel was accused of spearheading the purge of senior FBI officials, even though he had not yet been confirmed. The Justice Department has also been trying to fire FBI agents who investigated Trump but has faced legal pushback.
Last week, Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi enraged Trump’s supporters with a release of “Epstein files” that offered no new information on the disgraced sex-offender financier.