| Patel supported witnesses that claimed the federal government was biased against Trump both personally and through his non-profit, the Fight With Kash Foundation. Three former FBI officials testified before a Republican-led House committee that the Department of Justice was “corrupt” and being weaponized against Trump. Patel was found to have supported the witnesses financially through private payments, assisted one of the witnesses with getting a job at the Center for Renewing America, and made payments to the witnesses through his non-profit organization. Patel also praised and made overtures to the QAnon conspiracy theory about a cabal of pedophiles controlling the government. |
Three Witnesses Testified About Alleged Weaponization Of The Federal Government Against Trump. According to the New York Times, “But the first three witnesses to testify privately before the new Republican-led House committee investigating the “weaponization” of the federal government have offered little firsthand knowledge of any wrongdoing or violation of the law, according to Democrats on the panel who have listened to their accounts. Instead, the trio appears to be a group of aggrieved former F.B.I. officials who have trafficked in right-wing conspiracy theories, including about the Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the Capitol, and received financial support from a top ally of former President Donald J. Trump.” [New York Times, 3/2/23]
Committee Democrats Concluded That Patel Encouraged The Three Witnesses To Pursue Their “Meritless Claims” And Used Them For His Personal Vendettas. According to the New York Times, “’Based on this evidence, committee Democrats conclude that there is a strong likelihood that Kash Patel is encouraging the witnesses to continue pursuing their meritless claims, and in fact is using them to help propel his vendetta against the F.B.I., Justice Department, and Biden administration on behalf of himself and President Trump,’ the report says.” [New York Times, 3/2/23]
Two Of The Witnesses Received Financial Support From Patel. According to the New York Times, “Mr. O’Boyle and Mr. Friend both testified that they had received financial support from Kash Patel, a Trump loyalist and former high-ranking official in the former president’s administration. Mr. Friend said Mr. Patel sent him $5,000 almost immediately after they connected in November 2022 and that Mr. Patel has helped to promote Mr. Friend’s forthcoming book on social media.” [New York Times, 3/2/23]
Patel Helped One Witness Find His Next Job. According to the New York Times, “It also details the ties between Mr. Trump’s inner circle and the witnesses. For instance, Mr. Patel found Mr. Friend his next job, working as a fellow on domestic intelligence and security services with the Center for Renewing America, which is run by Russ Vought. The center is affiliated with the Conservative Partnership Institute, which is run by Mark Meadows, Mr. Trump’s former chief of staff, and former Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina.” [New York Times, 3/2/23]
Patel’s Non-Profit “Fight With Kash” Provided Thousands Of Dollars To The False Witnesses. According to ABC, “Over the past year, one of Donald Trump's staunchest loyalists, a rising star on the right named Kash Patel, has been soliciting donations and raising money for ‘Fight With Kash,’ a charity he launched after leaving the Trump administration two years ago. The charity, which in July of last year became a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization, made national headlines this past week with revelations that it provided thousands of dollars to at least two so-called ‘FBI whistleblowers’ who are helping House Republicans push disputed claims of politically-fueled corruption inside the Justice Department.” [ABC, 3/8/23]
2022: Patel Said, “I Agree With What A Lot Of [The QAnon] Movement Says.” According to NPR, “For his part, Patel has been willing to court QAnon believers as he built his brand and platform in recent years. In 2022, after Patel inscribed some copies of one of his children’s books with a QAnon slogan, he fielded questions about whether he was a believer. He claimed he used the slogan because of its ties to a movie, but did not distance himself completely, either. ‘You know, the Q thing is a movement. A lot of people attached themselves to it,’ Patel told pro-Trump influencer Mary Grace at the time. ‘I disagree with a lot of what that movement says, but I agree with what a lot of that movement says.’” [NPR, 12/9/24]
Patel Made More Than 50 Appearances On At Least A Dozen QAnon-Related Podcasts. According to NPR, “Patel has tended not to focus on the pedophile part of the belief system, but he’s made more than 50 appearances on at least a dozen podcasts that have either promoted the QAnon movement or shared QAnon-related conspiracy theories. Patel made overtures to QAnon influencers to join Truth Social and helped promote an account called ‘Q’ on that platform. In an appearance on the X22 Report, a podcast and video show known for promoting QAnon, Patel told the host that his ‘championing cause’ was ‘to get our people and mainstream America listening to your show rather than CNN, reading … The New York Times and The Washington Post.’” [NPR, 12/9/24]
November 2024: An Influential X Qanon Account Celebrated Patel’s Nomination, Writing, “Picture An FBI Director Who Sees The Q Movement In A Positive Light.” According to Wired, “ But aside from Trump’s return, the main driver of excitement among QAnon believers for what will happen in 2025 is the ascent of Kash Patel, a former Justice Department official who will soon run the FBI, if his nomination is confirmed by Congress. ‘Kash Patel has openly praised Q,’ an influential QAnon account with 600,000 followers wrote on X last month. ‘Picture an FBI Director who sees the Q movement in a positive light.’” [Wired, 12/23/24]
| Patel claimed to have knowledge of the classified documents Trump wanted to release at the end of his first term relating to Russia, Ukraine, and matters of national security, and was allegedly asked by Trump to assist in declassifying the documents. After the White House counsel blocked the release of documents that Trump wanted to declassify, Patel claimed that Trump asked him to retrieve the documents from the National Archives and release them to the public. Patel also shared that he had knowledge of what information was in the classified documents, and said he planned to put out the information to the public. |
Patel Claimed That Trump Wanted To Declassify Troves Of Documents, But White House Counsel Instead Delivered Them To The National Archives. According to ABC, “Patel, who under Trump had been the chief of staff for the acting defense secretary, claimed in a string of interviews that Trump had declassified a trove of ‘Russiagate documents’ in the final days of his administration. But Patel claimed Trump's White House counsel had blocked the release of those documents, and instead had them delivered to the National Archives.” [ABC, 8/17/22]
Patel Claimed That He Was Going To Retrieve The Documents From The National Archives And Publish Them. According to ABC, “’I've never told anyone this because it just happened,’ Patel said in an interview on a pro-Trump podcast on June 22. ‘I'm going to identify every single document that they blocked from being declassified at the National Archives, and we're going to start putting that information out next week.’ Patel did not provide a clear explanation of how he would legally or practically obtain the documents.” [ABC, 8/17/22]
Patel Claimed That Trump Asked Him To Retrieve Classified Documents From The National Archives. According to ABC, “The day before he left office, Trump authorized the declassification of a set of documents related to the Russia probe. The memorandum, released in January 2021, acknowledged that ‘portions of the documents in the binder have remained classified and have not been released to the Congress or the public.’ So according to Patel, Trump asked him to work on retrieving the classified documents from the National Archives and then release them to the public. ‘President Trump was like, ‘Who knows those documents better than anyone?’ And I was like, ‘If you want me to go, I'll go,’’ Patel said.” [ABC, 8/17/22]
Patel Claimed That He Was Present When Trump Declassified Documents. According to the Associated Press, “Patel is presumably of interest to investigators because of his claims, including in a May interview with Breitbart News, that he was present as Trump declassified material even though no changes had been made to classification markings on the documents. In that interview, Patel said, Trump ‘declassified whole sets of materials in anticipation of leaving government that he thought the American public should have the right to read themselves.’” [Associated Press, 11/4/22]
Patel Claimed That Trump Kept Documents Related To “Russiagate,” The Ukraine Impeachment Matter, And Matters Of National Security. According to the Washington Post, “Within days of Trump and his lawyers learning the FBI had begun a criminal investigation this spring, Patel offered right-wing media outlets what amounted to a public explanation for why Trump would still have so many sensitive government secrets. ‘It’s information that Trump felt spoke to matters regarding everything from Russiagate to the Ukraine impeachment fiasco to major national security matters of great public importance,’ Patel said in a Breitbart interview on May 5.” [Washington Post, 11/3/22]
| Patel shared his plans for the Federal Bureau of Investigation which would significantly alter the structure of the bureau, including shutting down the Hoover Building and breaking off certain branches of the FBI’s activities. Patel said that on “day one” he would shut down the Hoover Building and reopen it as a museum of the “deep state.” He added that he would handle the 7,000 employees that worked in the building by dispersing them across the country to “chase down criminals.” Additionally, Patel supported breaking off the FBI’s “intel shops” from the rest of its crime-fighting activities, which retired senior FBI official Frank Montoya Jr. said would be detrimental to the effectiveness of both the FBI and the rest of the intelligence committee. In his book Government Gangsters, Patel included an enemies list of 60 people including Democrats and former Trump officials who did not support his false claim that the 2020 election was stolen. |
Patel Wanted To Shut Down The FBI Hoover Building And Turn It Into A Museum Of The “Deep State.” According to The Associated Press, “‘I’d shut down the FBI Hoover Building on day one and reopen it the next day as a museum of the ‘deep state,’’ Patel said in an interview on the ‘Shawn Ryan Show’ that aired in September. ‘Then, I’d take the 7,000 employees that work in that building and send them across America to chase down criminals. Go be cops. You’re cops — go be cops.’” [Associated Press, 12/3/24]
Patel Wanted To Disperse The 7,000 FBI Employees That Worked In The Hoover Building Across The Country To “Go Be Cops.” According to The Associated Press, “‘I’d shut down the FBI Hoover Building on day one and reopen it the next day as a museum of the ‘deep state,’’ Patel said in an interview on the ‘Shawn Ryan Show’ that aired in September. ‘Then, I’d take the 7,000 employees that work in that building and send them across America to chase down criminals. Go be cops. You’re cops — go be cops.’” [Associated Press, 12/3/24]
Patel Supported Breaking Off The FBI’s “Intel Shops” From The Rest Of Its Crime-Fighting Activities. According to The Associated Press, “Patel has advocated cutting the federal government’s intelligence community, including the CIA and National Security Agency. When it comes to the FBI, he has said that he would support breaking off the bureau’s ‘intel shops’ from the rest of its crime-fighting activities.” [Associated Press, 12/3/24]
Retired Senior FBI Official Frank Montoya Jr. Said Breaking Out The FBI’s “Intel Shops” Would Make The Bureau And The Entire Intelligence Community Less Effective. According to The Associated Press, “Frank Montoya Jr., a retired senior FBI official who served as the U.S. government’s national counterintelligence executive, said he disagreed with the idea of breaking out the FBI’s ‘intel shops’ and viewed it as a way to defang the bureau. Doing so, he said, ‘makes the bureau less effective at what it does, and quite frankly, it will make the intelligence community less effective at what it does.’” [Associated Press, 12/3/24]
| One of Patel’s goals was to prosecute “lying” reporters and government officials who he claimed “helped Joe Biden rig presidential elections.” Patel seemed to imply that he would support a reversal of a Department of Justice policy that prohibited prosecutors from seizing journalists’ records in order to crack down on government officials and reporters that leaked sensitive information. Additionally, Patel’s plan went against FBI guidelines for criminal investigations, which required “an authorized purpose to detect or interrupt criminal activity,” whereas Patel’s accusations were based on speculation. |
Patel, In His Book “Government Gangsters,” Published A List Of 60 People He Called The “Executive Branch Deep State” Including Democrats And Trump Administration Officials Who Opposed Trump’s False Claim That The 2020 Election Was Stolen. According to Roll Call, “Kash Patel is set to face questions during a bid to be the next FBI director about his history of fierce criticism of current and former federal officials, including a list of 60 people he has deemed members of the ‘Executive Branch Deep State’ that critics have dubbed an enemies list. The list appears in an appendix of Patel’s book, ‘Government Gangsters: The Deep State, the Truth, and the Battle for Our Democracy.’ It includes people such as FBI Director Christopher Wray, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and President Joe Biden. There are high-profile Democrats, Trump administration officials who have rejected his false 2020 election fraud claims and other administration officials who have since spoken out critically about his behind-the-scenes conduct.” [Roll Call, 12/9/24]
Patel Wanted To Prosecute Reporters And Government Officials That Leaked Sensitive Information, Claiming They “Helped Joe Biden Rig Presidential Elections.” According to The Associated Press, “‘We’re going to come after the people in the media who lied about American citizens, who helped Joe Biden rig presidential elections,’ Patel said. The same applies for supposed ‘conspirators’ inside the federal government, he said.” [Associated Press, 12/3/24]
FBI Guidelines Stated That Criminal Investigations Cannot Be “Rooted In Arbitrary Or Groundless Speculation.” According to The Associated Press, “Under the FBI’s own guidelines, criminal investigations can’t be rooted in arbitrary or groundless speculation but instead must have an authorized purpose to detect or interrupt criminal activity.” [Associated Press, 12/3/24]
| Patel had a history of sharing false information both during and after his employment at the Department of Justice and the National Security Council, some of which resulted in risks to national security. While at the National Security Council, Trump described Patel as the council’s “Ukraine Director,” and Patel shared information with Trump about Ukraine. However, Patel was not on the list to receive materials about Ukraine, nor was Ukraine part of his work responsibilities. Additionally, Patel nearly compromised a hostage rescue mission when he told officials that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told him the US had received airspace permission from Nigeria. However, they had not received any such permission, and Pompeo claimed that he had never spoken to Patel. |
Patel Allegedly Fed Trump Information About Ukraine While Patel Was At The National Security Council Despite Not Being On The List To Receive Materials About Ukraine. According to Forbes, “Former NSC official Fiona Hill testified during Trump’s first impeachment trial that a staffer told her Patel, when he was at the NSC, was privately feeding Trump information about Ukraine and the then-president described him as the council’s ‘Ukraine director.’ Hill said that ‘alarmed everybody,’ because Ukraine was not part of Patel’s remit and he was not on the list to receive materials about it.” [Forbes, 12/11/24]
Patel Falsely Claimed He Received Information From Then-Secretary Of State Mike Pompeo That The US Received Airspace Permission From Nigeria To Execute A Hostage Rescue Mission. According to Forbes, “Officials also raised issues with an instance in which Patel claimed that then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told him the U.S. had received airspace permission from Nigeria as it executed a rescue mission to retrieve an American hostage.” [Forbes, 12/11/24]
Patel’s spreading of misinformation continued after his employment at the Department of Justice, when he claimed that he was a “lead prosecutor” in the case against the attack on a U.S. compound in Benghazi when he was actually a junior staff member at the time of the trial.
Patel Claimed To Be The “Lead Prosecutor” In The Department Of Justice’s Case Against The Attack On A US Compound In Benghazi, But Was Actually Just A Junior Staff Member At The Time Of The Trial. According to CNN, “Patel has claimed to be the ‘lead prosecutor’ in the DOJ’s case against those who carried out the 2012 attack on a US diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans. But The New York Times reported in October that Patel was a junior staff member at the time and was not part of the trial team.” [CNN, 12/2/24]
| The U.S. House January 6th committee said it had substantial reason to believe that Patel was involved with the January 6th insurrection and called him in for questioning. They claimed that Patel had important insight into how the Department of Defense and the White House prepared for and responded to the insurrection. |
The US House January 6th Committee Said They Had “Substantial Reason To Believe” That Patel Had Insight Into How The Department Of Defense And White House Prepared For And Responded To The Insurrection. According to CNN, “In 2021, he also met with the House committee investigating the January 6 attack on the Capitol, which found at the time that ‘there is substantial reason to believe’ that Patel had important insight into how the Department of Defense and White House prepared for and responded to the attack. In a statement at the time, Patel said that he had appeared before the panel ‘to answer questions to the best of my ability.’” [CNN, 12/2/24]