Kash Patel Is Testing FBI Norms
WASHINGTON—Since J. Edgar Hoover took the reins a century ago, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has sought to present itself as the Ivy League of law enforcement, where agents wear suits and ties—and keep a low profile.
Kash Patel’s ultracasual style and attraction to the spotlight are chipping away at that image.
Patel, who just passed the one-year mark as FBI director, effectively kicked off his second year with a four-day, taxpayer-funded trip to Italy, where he watched the U.S. men’s hockey team win Olympic gold over Canada. A video of him in the locker room afterward celebrating and drinking beer with the players went viral.
It unnerved some in the button-down workforce who voiced concern that the party-boy image could strain partnerships with other law-enforcement agencies and make bureau leadership seem weak in the eyes of foreign adversaries. Some current and former agents said they at first questioned whether the video had been created by artificial intelligence.
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While Patel was in Italy, the FBI back home was being drawn further into the investigation of the disappearance of “Today” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie’s mother in Arizona; investigating an armed man who was shot and killed after breaching the secure perimeter at President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida; and tracking an explosion of violence in Mexico after its military killed a powerful cartel boss.
A former FBI agent, Daniel Brunner, said the Mexico troubles put American citizens at risk and should have demanded Patel’s attention. “He’s the director of the FBI, so he should be at his post,” he said. The FBI spokesman said Patel was “briefed and engaged.”. Trump has privately questioned Patel’s Olympic appearance, according to a person familiar with the matter. Still, the president has been outwardly supportive of Patel, including for purging FBI employees who investigated Trump or appeared hostile to conservatives.
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