Whistleblower Says FBI Director Nominee Kash Patel Jeopardized Hostage Rescue Mission In 2020

Last week, Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s pick for FBI director, had his Senate confirmation hearing. After the hearing, a whistleblower came forward to question Patel’s judgment in a hostage situation during the first Trump administration.

Senate Democrats have obtained a whistleblower report claiming Patel violated protocol during a hostage rescue mission in October 2020. The whistleblower claimed in a letter to the Senate that Patel leaked information to the Wall Street Journal hours before a deal where two Americans and the remains of a third were being transferred to U.S. custody from Yemen.

According to the whistleblower, the protocols instructed that any information be withheld from the press until the subjects were both in U.S. custody and their families had been notified. In U.S. intelligence operations like hostage negotiations, one slight misstep could put pressure on those holding the Americans and risk the deal and their safety.

The headline for the Wall Street Journal report from Oct. 14, 2020, read: “Two Americans Held Hostage by Iran-Backed Forces in Yemen Freed in Trade,” which was confirmed by Patel before the hostages were safe, the whistleblower claimed.

The whistleblower also mentioned in the letter that Patel was not involved in the setup or execution of the operation.

In response, Patel shared an X post by the Senate Judiciary Republicans, highlighting various Republicans defending his hostage recovery efforts, including former National Security Council chief of staff Alex Gray. Gray called the anonymous allegations “simply absurd” and said that “Kash put the interests of the American people, and particularly the interests of American hostages and unlawful detainees and their families, first.”

Former government officials addressed a letter to senators urging them to reject Patel’s nomination to lead the FBI, calling it a “mistake.” Twenty-three people signed the letter, including former GOP Reps. Barbara Comstock and Joe Walsh and multiple former Justice Department officials from the Nixon, Reagan and Bush administrations.

“The FBI is a cornerstone of our justice system, tasked with defending our nation against threats both foreign and domestic. Its director must be a person with strong ethics, sound judgment, and an unwavering commitment to enforcing the law. Kash Patel has repeatedly demonstrated that he is not this person,” they wrote in the letter.