Kash Patel Accused of Secretly Leading FBI Purge Before Confirmation Vote

A senator has accused Kash Patel, Donald Trump’s pick to lead the FBI, of orchestrating the purge currently underway at the agency despite not yet receiving Senate confirmation.

Democrat Dick Durbin wrote in a Tuesday letter to the Justice Department’s watchdog that he had “received highly credible information from multiple sources” that Patel is behind the ongoing removal of agents who investigated Trump.

“This alleged misconduct is beyond the pale and must be investigated immediately,” Durbin wrote to Inspector General Michael Horowitz.

Patel, a loyalist who was among Trump’s most controversial nominees, faces a committee vote on Thursday about whether to send his nomination to the Senate floor for a vote.

Durbin’s letter alleges that Patel has been giving orders that are carried out by top Trump aide Stephen Miller and acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove.

Based Durbin’s sources, whom he didn’t identify, Patel’s directive to fire a group of top FBI executives was relayed by Bove at a Jan. 29 meeting attended by the agency’s acting director, Brian Driscoll, and others.

“Bove told meeting attendees that he received multiple calls from Stephen Miller the night before,” Durbin claims. “Mr. Miller was pressuring him because Mr. Patel wanted the FBI to remove targeted employees faster, as DOJ had already done with prosecutors.”

The Trump administration on Jan. 27 fired a number of Justice Department prosecutors who played a role in cases against Trump.

On Jan. 31, two days after the meeting described by Durbin, around a half dozen FBI agents in leadership positions were forced out of the agency.

Durbin says that Patel may have “perjured” himself in his confirmation hearings.

Patel was asked, under oath, on Jan. 30 whether he was “aware of any plans or discussions to punish in any way, including termination, FBI agents or personnel associated with Trump investigations.”

He responded that he was “not aware,” adding that he “will honor the internal review process of the FBI.”

A day later, news broke about the removal of the top agents, as well as plans to purge rank-and-file agents who worked on cases related to the Jan. 6 insurrection and Trump’s alleged mishandling of government documents, a process that has been underway since then.

“Officials taking baseless, adverse employment actions against any career civil servant solely at the behest of a private citizen is unconscionable on its own,” Durbin wrote in his letter. “But the ramifications of removing senior leaders and threatening the removal of thousands of other FBI agents are particularly disastrous.”

The FBI declined to comment to the Daily Beast on the situation, while the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In a statement posted to X, Patel’s spokesperson Erica Knight wrote, “Once again, the media is relying on anonymous sources and second-hand gossip to push a false narrative.” She urged the Senate to “confirm him without delay.”

The Trump administration on Jan 24 also culled more than a dozen inspectors general, the federal watchdogs associated with each government agency, but spared Horowitz, whose tenure at the Justice Department has lasted more than 12 years. Horowitz, who was nominated by Barack Obama, has published reports critical of both Democrats and Republicans.