He is coming under increased fire for allegedly disrupting the regular briefing schedule and spending a significant portion of his time socialising with celebrities at various events, as quoted in a report by The Independent.
While the FBI maintains that the changes are standard procedure, some sources fear the FBI Director is putting personal privileges ahead of national security duties.
Why did Kash Patel change the FBI briefing schedule?
The bureau’s directors usually attend a daily 8.30 a.m. meeting where they receive a briefing on the most important law enforcement and intelligence data compiled by thousands of analysts.
The head of the FBI also usually convenes a secure video teleconference with national field office leaders on Wednesday afternoons to discuss bureau priorities, as per a report by The Independent.
But unlike his predecessors, Kash Patel has started cutting back on the daily morning briefing to just two days a week, according to sources who spoke to NBC News.
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He has also halted the Wednesday conference, according to the sources, which include two current officials with firsthand knowledge and two former officials from the FBI and Justice Department.
The sources added that those who worked on the daily morning briefings had been informed that the schedule had been altered because Patel occasionally failed to arrive on time, raising concerns about his behaviour that he is not taking his position seriously.
Kash Patel has been photographed at events like the UFC with his boss, Donald Trump, and other famous people.
It was previously reported that he thought about hiring UFC trainers to help agents improve their martial arts and self-defence abilities.
Is he using FBI resources for personal travel?
Patel appears to have taken three flights on FBI aircraft to Nashville, Tennessee, where his girlfriend resides, two flights to Las Vegas, and a flight to New York, where he went to a hockey game and was photographed with NHL legend Wayne Gretzky, according to flight logs examined by NBC News.
How is the FBI responding to the backlash?
An FBI spokesperson stated that all ethical standards had been rigorously adhered to, but she declined to comment on whether the six trips the outlet reported were related to work-related activities.
“The meeting schedule was changed to Tuesday/Thursday for a large group, and Monday/Wednesday/Friday for a smaller operational chief group,” an FBI spokesperson told The Independent in a statement.
The modifications were not made due to time constraints or schedules, but rather in response to input from Bureau staff. Patel’s tardiness at meetings was also refuted by a spokesperson.
The officials stated that Patel frequently addresses field offices but that the weekly teleconference was cancelled because of “attempted leaks” that resulted in a number of national news reports, as quoted in a report by The Independent.
FAQs
Is Kash Patel still conducting regular FBI briefings?
He reportedly reduced them to two group days and held smaller meetings the rest of the week.
Why is his attendance at UFC events causing concern?
Critics believe it demonstrates a lack of commitment to his serious duties as FBI Director.
