Ouch….
Like Hegseth?
He appears to be in OVER his head…..
Unlike Hegseth?
He has few Friends in Trump Land….
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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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.
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….
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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…
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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….
image….NBC News
Joyce Vance on HER view of the Kirk case and Fed’s investigative steps and POLITICS….
And EXPERIANCE….
…Today, we’re finding out why it’s so important to have experienced, immaculately trained, calm and collected federal law enforcement folks who have solid relationships with their state and local partners in place when a crime like this happens. It makes all the difference. Running the FBI is not a gig for the inexperienced. Loyalty to the president doesn’t matter. Competence and experience are required to keep communities safe in moments like this. Politicizing the Department of Justice and refocusing its resources on immigration enforcement doesn’t help keep us safer, it turns out.
Much of the focus today was on the politics of the moment. Trump’s unseemly comments at the 9-11 memorial. JD Vance’s use of Air Force 2 to convey Kirk’s body to his family. The unfavorable comparison to how the president and vice president responded to the murder and assaults on Democratic officials and family members in Minnesota. The way Republicans made jokes when Speaker Pelosi’s husband Paul was viciously attacked. But there is more to this than the politics. There are the law enforcement concerns—chief among them, the need to keep communities safe….
More…