Kash Patel is leading the FBI with a focus on raising his star profile, according to his agents.
The 45-year-old FBI director—who had no prior experience at the agency before bagging the top job—is said to demand a heads-up for any “noteworthy arrests” so he can be on the scene and get screen time.
A source told Axios that, alongside Patel focusing on making it on the news, agents are instructed that if the director does show up—which isn’t a given—they should avoid engaging with him.
Patel is rarely spotted out of an FBI windbreaker while on the job, with a source telling Axios that the habit is rubbing staff the wrong way. “You’re the director of the FBI. Wear a f--king suit,” the recently-retired agent said.
The agent’s complaint mirrors a report leaked this month in a dossier compiled by former and current agents that addresses Patel’s leadership failures.
In one incident, the dossier claims that Patel threw a tantrum when he arrived in Provo, Utah, the day after Charlie Kirk was assassinated.
While FBI agents were in the midst of a manhunt, Patel allegedly refused to leave his jet until he was provided with a size medium windbreaker. Patel then continued his fit, because the jacket did not have enough patches on the sleeve. He remained on the jet until members of the FBI SWAT team “took patches off their uniforms and ran those patches over to FBI Director Kash Patel at the airport.”
“Patel apparently did not have his own FBI raid jacket with him and refused to step from the plane without wearing one,” the report claimed.
Kash himself branded the tale “100 percent false” while speaking to Fox News’ Laura Ingraham, explaining that he was “honored” to be encouraged to wear the jacket, and wore the unit-specific badge with “pride” when offered.
Agents also told Axios that Patel’s strong social media presence, which saw him announce an arrest for Charlie Kirk’s assassination when the perpetrator hadn’t been caught, was similarly adding to his unpopularity.
Considering his flair for the spotlight, private jet usage, new fleet of luxury vehicles, and array of trips with his musician girlfriend Alexis Wilkins, it was revealed last month that Patel has a moniker based on his use of the FBI director role to make all of his wildest dreams come true.
Former FBI Senior Executive Christopher O’Leary told MSNOW’s The Weekend: “This is a nickname that I’ve heard that he’s being called, from agents in the FBI. He’s the Make-a-Wish director.”
