American Oversight Condemns Confirmation of Kash Patel to Lead Federal Bureau of Investigation
American Oversight’s condemnation of Patel follows extensive investigation into Patel’s problematic record and communications
Following a turbulent nomination process for Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s controversial pick for Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), today American Oversight condemned his confirmation to be the next head of the powerful law enforcement agency.
American Oversight has investigated Patel for years — including most recently taking multiple legal actions to bring to light the special counsel’s report on Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified documents, which potentially involved Patel — and will continue to hold him accountable for any attempts to weaponize the FBI, politicize law enforcement, and use his new post to enact Trump’s promised “retribution” against his political enemies.
“Despite his record of vitriol, political attacks, and complete lack of law enforcement management experience, the Senate voted to confirm Kash Patel as FBI Director without full disclosure of his role in one of the most consequential criminal investigations in our nation’s history,” said American Oversight interim Executive Director Chioma Chukwu. “With Congress failing to act as a check on an out-of-control executive branch, the need for independent watchdogs like American Oversight is more important than ever. We will continue fighting for the release of the special counsel’s report and remain committed to holding Patel and the administration accountable.”
Just days ago, American Oversight submitted an expedited motionasking Judge Aileen Cannon to dissolve her Jan. 21 order barring the Department of Justice from releasing Volume Two of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s report on President Trump’s mishandling of classified documents, or confirm that the order expired when all remaining criminal charges in the case were dismissed in January.
That motion followed American Oversight’s Feb. 10 lawsuit and motionfor a preliminary injunction against the DOJ, demanding the swift release of the report. The report could have exposed highly critical details about Patel. Despite this, DOJ claimed it could not release the report until Judge Cannon lifted her order.
In 2021, American Oversight sued for communications records of top Trump administration officials from the time of the Jan. 6 insurrection, including Patel’s communications. One of the lawsuits revealed that the Pentagon had failed to preserve senior officials’ text messages, leading to the department announcing a change in policy.
The nomination and confirmation of Patel, who rose through the ranks of the Trump administration as an avowed loyalist to the president, raises serious concerns about how Trump could weaponize the FBI for his promised “retribution” against his political enemies.
Patel has promoted conspiracy theories about the 2020 election as well as the “deep state,” which he has pledged to purge of “government gangsters.” In public statements, Patel has said he plans to “find the conspirators” in both government and in the media. “Yes, we’re going to come after the people in the media who lied about American citizens, who helped Joe Biden rig presidential elections,” he said. “We’re going to come after you. Whether it’s criminally or civilly, we’ll figure that out.” Patel’s confirmation as FBI director puts him in charge of a federal law enforcement agency that he could use to target his enemies list of critics and high-ranking officials.