(AFP) – FBI Director Kash Patel faces a Senate panel on Tuesday amid criticism of his handling of the investigation into the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and the case of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee are also expected to grill Patel over an ongoing purge of FBI ranks of agents seen as disloyal to President Donald Trump.
Patel has come under fire from both the right and the left since being named by Trump to head the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the nation’s premier law enforcement agency. He angered many Trump supporters with a memo in July that effectively closed the investigation into the activities of Epstein, who died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking of underage girls. In the memo, the FBI and Justice Department said that the well-connected financier had committed suicide, did not blackmail any prominent figures, and did not keep a “client list.”
Trump’s supporters have been obsessed with the Epstein case for years and held as an article of faith that “deep state” elites have been protecting Epstein associates in the Democratic Party and Hollywood. Trump’s one-time close relationship with Epstein has also proved to be potent fodder for his political opponents, with the president and his allies seeking to downplay the whole saga as a Democratic “hoax.”
Patel has also been heavily criticized for his actions in the immediate aftermath of last week’s assassination of Kirk during a speaking event at a Utah university. Patel announced the arrest of a suspect a few hours after the shooting, only to turn around two hours later and say that the individual had been released and the manhunt was continuing. The actual suspected assailant, Tyler Robinson, was arrested 33 hours after the shooting. Robinson is to be formally charged in Provo, Utah, on Tuesday with the murder of Kirk, the founder of the influential conservative youth political group Turning Point USA.
Among those critical of Patel in the wake of the bungled announcement is conservative activist Christopher Rufo, who wrote on X whether “it is time for Republicans to assess whether Kash Patel is the right man to run the FBI.” According to Fox News, Patel’s relationship with Attorney General Pam Bondi is particularly strained, although he continues to enjoy the confidence of the White House for the time being.
Since taking office in January, Trump has taken a number of punitive measures against his perceived enemies, purging government officials deemed to be disloyal, targeting FBI agents and law firms involved in past cases against him, and pulling federal funding from universities. Among those summarily dismissed from government service have been scores of FBI agents, including three former senior bureau officials who filed a lawsuit against Patel last week over their firing. The former agents said they were victims of a “campaign of retribution” over a perceived “failure to demonstrate sufficient political loyalty.” “Patel not only acted unlawfully but deliberately chose to prioritize politicizing the FBI over protecting the American people,” they said.
Following his appearance before the Senate panel on Tuesday, Patel will testify before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.
– Chris Lefkow
© 2024 AFP
