FBI Director Kash Patel made an embarrassing error in a Fox News interview on Tuesday, mistakenly referring to Minnesota as a city rather than a state.
During Tuesday night’s episode of Hannity on Fox News, host Sean Hannity asked Patel about the Justice Department’s move to subpoena five Minnesota government offices. The department is trying to frame public opposition to President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration in the area as a crime.
The 45-year-old FBI director—who had no prior experience at the agency before bagging the top job—took the opportunity to suck up to the president, and then went on to make the geographical gaffe without batting an eyelid.
“Let’s make one thing absolutely crystal clear. Under President Trump’s leadership, he has supplied law enforcement the resources they need to protect our American communities,” the close Trump ally turned top law enforcement official began.
“He has also given us the mandate to enforce the law, and the law is simply this: No one, elected official, private citizen, or otherwise, gets to impede and obstruct a law enforcement investigation. No one.”
“This FBI is committed to working with our interagency and our Department of Justice partners under President Trump’s mandate to make sure Minnesota and every other city across this country is safe, and that’s why we’re having a record year, that we’re having under President Trump’s brilliant leadership,” Patel added.
A clip of the gaffe was reshared on X, where some users ripped Patel to shreds for confusing Minnesota with Minneapolis, which has been invaded by thousands of federal agents as part of Trump’s mass deportation drive.
“The good old CITY of Minnesota, dumbest of the dumb,” one X user wrote.
“We truly have the dumbest and loudest people running the country into the ground,” said another.
The Daily Beast has contacted the FBI for comment.
The Justice Department is seeking communications and records linked to an alleged effort to impede immigration enforcement operations ordered by the Trump administration in the region.
“Whether it’s a public official, whether it’s a law enforcement officer, no one is above the law in this state or in this country, and people will be held accountable,” U.S. Attorney Pam Bondi told Fox News on Tuesday.
“Our men and women in law enforcement deserve to be safe, and that’s what we’re going to do in Minnesota,” she added.
