(The Hill) — FBI Director Kash Patel is taking heat over his handling of the manhunt for Charlie Kirk’s assassin from key figures in the MAGA movement, in which he initially became a star.
Patel stumbled in the early hours after the shooting when he indicated on X that a suspected shooter was in custody, before it later turned out the killer was still at large.
Even after a suspect, Tyler Robinson, was apprehended, Patel continued to get heat over his leadership and his candor.
“I’m grateful that Utah authorities have captured the suspect in the Charlie Kirk assassination, and think it is time for Republicans to assess whether Kash Patel is the right man to run the FBI,” anti-DEI crusader Chis Rufo posted on X on Friday morning. “He performed terribly in the last few days, and it’s not clear whether he has the operational expertise to investigate, infiltrate, and disrupt the violent movements—of whatever ideology—that threaten the peace in the United States.”
Rufo added that many conservative leaders he’s talked to are not confident in “the current structure of the FBI.”
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Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, speaking on “Bannon’s War Room” show immediately after a law enforcement press conference revealing some details about Robinson and his family, expressed annoyance as speakers at the event offered kudos for the investigation and the arrest of Robinson.
“It appears the kid had said something to the family, the family confronted him, and the family turned him in. I’m not seeing the great law enforcement work,” Bannon said. “They all came together, I got that. But this was not great law enforcement work.”
Utah Governor Spencer Cox (R) said that Robinson’s family member reached out to a friend who then contacted the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, saying that Robinson had “confessed to them or implied that he had committed the incident.”
Before that, law enforcement was seeking the public’s help in identifying the shooter. Patel flew to Utah on Thursday to oversee the investigation.
“I don’t know why Kash flew out there, you know, thousands of miles, to give us, ‘Hey, working partnerships and our great partnership in Utah’ — OK, got that,” Bannon added, complaining that the press conference did not include more details about the shooter, the timeline of the incident, and how he was apprehended.
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The FBI did not directly comment on criticism from the right on their handling of the case, saying only the bureau would continue to provide updates.
“The FBI worked with our law enforcement partners in Utah to bring to justice the individual allegedly responsible for the horrific murder of Charlie Kirk, and we will continue to be transparent with the American people with real-time updates as we are able,” a spokesperson said by email.
Patel has had a few notable stumbles amid the investigation.
That includes tweeting on the night of the assassination that a “subject for the horrific shooting today” was taken into custody. Utah law enforcement officials and Cox were in a press conference at the time of Patel’s post, and told the media they had yet to find the killer and that authorities only had a person of interest in custody.
Less than two hours later after his initial post, Patel wrote a note saying the person had been released – a clear signal that law enforcement had not apprehended the correct person.
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The next day, in a meeting reported by The New York Times, Patel fumed to subordinates over failure to give him timely information, including photos of the suspect, the now-arrested Robinson. Patel reportedly went on a profanity-laced tirade, telling agents he would not tolerate “Mickey Mouse operations.”
It’s not only the investigative hiccups peeving those on the right.
Patel became a fixture in MAGA media and social media after Trump’s first term. He served as an aide on the House Intelligence Committee and National Security Council, leveraging that experience to become a regular presence on right-wing podcasts to discuss government “weaponization” against Trump. He authored a children’s book, “The Plot Against the King,” based on the Steele dossier; featuring a figure named Hillary Queenton spreading lies against King Donald.
Patel personally knew Kirk and gave an emotional tribute to the Turning Point USA founder on Friday.
“To my friend Charlie Kirk: Rest now, brother. We have the watch, and I’ll see you in Valhalla,” Patel said, making a reference to the hall of slain warriors from Norse mythology.
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Radio host Erick Erickson responded to Patel’s “Valhalla” comment with an eye-roll emoji.
It’s not just the Kirk shooting that is increasing scrutiny of Patel.
A suit was filed against Patel on Wednesday that challenges the firing of just three leaders who have been among the dozens of career FBI staff pushed out in a “campaign of retribution” for a perceived “failure to demonstrate sufficient political loyalty” — which they argue has removed decades of crime fighting expertise.
Among those forced aside was Mehtab Syed, a counterterrorism expert who in February was tapped to lead the Salt Lake Field Office now investigating the Kirk shooting.
And it includes other embarrassing details about FBI leadership.
Several references in the suit indicate the fired agents did not always take Patel or FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino seriously. It says that Patel kept a collection of whiskeys and cigars in his office, including cigars from Trump’s Inauguration, and presented one now-fired agent with a challenge coin after the agent asked Patel to hold off on releasing the name of an agent to Congress in a move likely to reveal their identity and subject them to threats.
“Such challenge coins—tokens of appreciation given by leaders to their subordinates in government and military environments—are typically the size of a silver dollar. The coin proffered by Patel, however, was much larger, inscribed with ‘Director’ at the top banner of the coin and ‘Ka$h Patel’ at the bottom banner,” the suit states.
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In another instance, an agent recalled Bongino “expressed shock” after discovering the FBI was about to burn documents from the Crossfire Hurricane investigation into Trump, apparently unaware the bureau would keep digital records of the closed investigation. Patel had also taken to social media to talk about uncovering the “burn bags.”
Patel and the entire Department of Justice also took heat from the MAGA base earlier this year over files relating to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. A July initial joint DOJ and FBI memo said that the wealthy financier did not kill himself and that the agencies would not release any more information about the case — despite Patel previously stoking Epstein conspiracy theories.
The FBI director is likely to face questions from lawmakers about the Kirk investigation and other matters next week, when he is scheduled to testify before both the House and Senate judiciary committees.
Trump, for his part, specifically praised Attorney General Pam Bondi on “Fox & Friends” Friday morning after he announced a suspect had been apprehended in the Kirk shooting.
“Everybody worked together. Pam Bondi is incredible, by the way. People don’t know what a star she is, she’s incredible. And it all worked out,” Trump said.
