The White House quickly refuted a report that President Donald Trump is considering removing FBI Director Kash Patel from his post amid recent controversies — with a spokesperson describing it as “fake news.”
MS NOW reported on Tuesday that the president and his aides have become frustrated by the unfavorable news coverage Patel has generated, citing three unnamed sources familiar with the matter.
In recent weeks, the nation’s top law enforcement official has come under scrutiny for his use of government aircraft, the security detail assigned to his girlfriend and conflicts with other administration members.
Sources described Patel as “being on thin ice,” with Co-Deputy FBI Director Andrew Bailey being eyed as his replacement, the outlet reported.
But, minutes after the story published, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt took to social media to rebut it.
“This story is completely made up,” Leavitt wrote on X.
She said that, when the news broke, she happened to be in the middle of an Oval Office meeting with the president and Patel.
“I read the headline to the President and he laughed. He said: ‘What? That’s totally false. Come on Kash, let’s take a picture to show them you’re doing a great job!’” Leavitt wrote, attaching a photo of the pair smiling and giving a thumbs up.
Since his Senate confirmation in February, Patel has frequently been dogged by negative headlines.
In November, The Wall Street Journal reported that Patel, a former Florida public defender, had come under intense scrutiny for using a government jet for multiple personal trips, including to a luxury resort in Texas and to his girlfriend’s home in Tennessee.
A spokesperson for Patel later told The New York Times that his transportation expenses have been comparable to those of his recent predecessors.
FBI and administration insiders have accused Patel of jumping the gun in publicizing ongoing investigations, according to the outlet.
For example, he publicly disclosed an investigation into a “potential” terror plot on Halloween near Deroit before investigators had a chance to fully establish the facts — including whether an attack was actually imminent, MS Now reports.
Last week, the FBI director also faced criticism after a report emerged that his girlfriend, country music star Alexis Wilkins, had been assigned an FBI SWAT team for her personal protection.
The agents assigned to protect Wilkins typically work in a Nashville field office, sources told MS NOW. They’re trained to handle major incidents, such as terror attacks and mass shootings.
“There is no legitimate justification for this,” Christopher O’Leary, a former senior FBI agent, told the outlet. “This is a clear abuse of position and misuse of government resources. She is not his spouse, does not live in the same house or even the same city.”
Patel has been a fierce defender of his girlfriend on social media.
In early November, after reports that he had used a government jet to go and watch her sing, he wrote on X that 27-year-old Wilkins has “done more for this nation than most will in ten lifetimes.”
“I’ve always said — criticize me all you want. But going after the people doing great work, my personal life, or those around me is a total disgrace,” he wrote. “The disgustingly baseless attacks against Alexis — a true patriot and the woman I’m proud to call my partner in life — are beyond pathetic.”
During his tenure at the FBI, Patel has also fired dozens of employees seen as lacking the necessary conservative bonafides or support for the president, the Journal previously reported.
One longtime bureau employee, David Maltinsky, filed a lawsuit against Patel last week claiming he was unlawfully fired for displaying an LGBT Pride flag at his work station.
When contacted by The Independent, a spokesperson for the FBI declined to comment on the lawsuit.
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