FBI Director Kash Patel has directed his agents to sift through sensitive material and case files in order to dig up dirt on Donald Trump’s enemies.
A bombshell New York Times investigation reveals that the bureau has been hunting for negative information in order to discredit federal law enforcement officials who have investigated the president and his allies. The news comes amid recent political attacks on DOJ Special Counsel Jack Smith, who indicted Trump twice in 2023 for mishandling classified documents and attempting to subvert the 2020 election.
The material is usually obtained through inquiries by congressional Republicans, searches initiated by Patel’s team, or self-described whistleblowers, some of whom may have leaked Trump-related documents that include confidential grand jury info. This information is then distributed to Trump’s Republican allies on Capitol Hill or MAGA-friendly media outlets.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the FBI for comment.
FBI spokesperson Ben Williamson denied the agency has cherry-picked evidence in a statement to the Times.
“Director Patel and his leadership team have overseen the most transparent F.B.I. in history — turning over 40,000 documents to Congress in just one year, a nearly 400 percent increase over both his predecessors during their entire tenures combined,” he wrote in an email to the Times. “We are proud of our work with the committees of jurisdiction on the Hill and make zero apologies for opening the books of the F.B.I. for the American people.”
One key “clearinghouse” for the material is Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, the Times said. Grassley has been critical of Operation Arctic Frost, the FBI-led investigation into President Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Smith used this information as the basis for his case against Trump.
Grassley previously called the operation “a runaway train that swept up information from hundreds of innocent people simply because of their political affiliation.” He has launched a probe into Arctic Frost, which he said was at the top of the Judiciary Committee’s agenda for 2026.
The Times reported that anti-Smith document dumps have been released ahead of congressional hearings to stoke outrage and control the narrative around the probe. Some of the material has come from so-called whistleblowers, although parts of the information have appeared to include grand jury proceedings. It is illegal for federal employees to disclose grand jury information.
The Daily Beast has reached out to representatives for Grassley for comment.
Two former prosecutors who worked with Smith requested the Justice Department internally investigate whether grand jury material was leaked to Grassley.
“If the records that Chairman Grassley published are authentic, the only individuals with access to such records are Justice Department officials,” J.P. Cooney and Molly Gaston wrote in a letter reviewed by the Times. The two also emphasized that disclosing the records would violate the law.
Clare Slattery, a spokesperson for Grassley, told the Times that the senator’s staff vetted whistleblowers and that he was legally allowed to release the information he has disclosed. She also said that Grassley was sharing “facts that the Biden administration hid from Congress and the American people.”
Ironically, Republicans have accused the Biden administration of weaponizing the FBI in a manner similar to what is described in the Times report. The outlet reported that former Grassley aide Patrick Davis, who currently runs the Justice Department’s legislative affairs, wanted “to uncover the Biden administration’s weaponization of law enforcement against its political opponents.”
FBI document dumps related to Arctic Frost and Smith have fueled conservative outlets, which have then been amplified by Trump. The president recently called for Smith to be jailed following one such release, which revealed Smith’s investigation legally paid $20,000 to an FBI source.
