The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) is the premier law enforcement agency in America and abroad. The FBI is an elite group of Americans who protect the United States from terrorism and domestic crimes. Additionally, it has the authority and responsibility to investigate many other violations of federal law.
Having now been confirmed, Director Kash Patel will only send the U.S. back into an era of John Edgar Hoover, applying shady tactics that Congress worked diligently to curtail over the past decades. FBI agents work long hours, many in hazardous locations around the world. They took an oath to support and defend the U.S. Constitution at home and abroad. These are the same agents that FBI Director Kash Patel swears led rioters into the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Director Patel is an unqualified hardcore partisan with no senior law enforcement experience, and the fact that U.S. senators rubber-stamped a dangerously incompetent person to be in charge of our national security and public safety, speaks volumes to a keen lack of respect for the agents. Don’t take my word for it — Trump’s former Attorney General William Barr once recounted saying “over my dead body” referring to appointing the ethically-challenged Patel as director of the FBI, and former Vice President Mike Pence raised concerns over efforts to install Patel as the CIA Director in 2021.
Providing oversight to law enforcement is not an easy job. There will be opposition from either side of the fence on any decision you make. I was appointed to a small quasi-judicial office in Miami, where law enforcement is notorious for their cocaine cowboy days and a TV show known as “The First 48,” which demanded its own scandals.
Our independent, small but mighty office was charged with shining a light on issues and investigating malfeasance amongst law enforcement officers. One major takeaway was the “bad apple” example: the mere idea that a small group, sometimes led by a recklessly boisterous person, can tarnish the image and integrity of an entire force. In this case, the U.S. Senate plays a vital role in providing checks and balances, as intended by our Founding Fathers.
The U.S. Senate should have prioritized American lives over political revenge by rejecting Kash Patel.
My thoughts were, do they risk allowing the reckless Kash Patel to tarnish a force of internationally regarded professionals or do they fulfill their duty to advise and consent to maintain the integrity of the force? If you think it was the latter, try again. The U.S. Senate backed a person with questionable ethics and no management skills. We have now learned FBI Director Patel didn’t care much when he was told it could cost over $100 million dollars (the FBI doesn’t have the money) to move 1,500 agents outside of Washington, D.C. No analysis, no plan and no care.
The Senate may have erred in its duties this time, but the House knew full well that integrity is essential, which is why the Inspector General Act of 1978 was created. The Office of Inspector General (OIG) plays a huge role in government accountability, and some within this office wield the power of law enforcement as well. They receive complaints of corruption, with the power vested to have access to all documents and systems to investigate fraud, waste and abuse.
The fact is that the DOJ OIG found that no FBI agents played a role in the riot in the U.S. Capitol — a fact that FBI Director Kash Patel ignores and continues to do so in order to stay in line with his pledge of complete allegiance to President Donald Trump, and to create a divide with America to paint the FBI as bad actors. A real leader would not work so diligently to tarnish a force of faithful Americans sworn to defend and support the Constitution. Director Patel has proven that he will not bear true faith and allegiance to the same. He has made clear that his priority will be abusing power to target Americans who disagree with the administration.
The institution of America’s principal law enforcement agency, with Director Patel in charge, is under grave danger of losing its premier status of impartiality. The FBI now boasts tremendous authority of surveillance of Americans, and now approved by the Senate with an “enemy’s list” in hand, there is no stopping Director Patel from targeting the media, members of Congress and anyone who dares speak up against the actions of the Trump administration.
FBI Director Patel has been consistent on one thing; his loyalty is to Trump first. But American lives are on the line, and there is absolutely no excuse for putting an inexperienced partisan loyalist in charge of counterterrorism and law enforcement. But here we are.
The U.S. Senate should have prioritized American lives over political revenge by rejecting Kash Patel and demanding accountability in the FBI’s leadership. Instead, they did the opposite. As the FBI Director said in his first speech, in disbelief of his new role, “Man, this is F’ing crazy.” Yes, indeed it is, Director Patel.
Daniel Suarez is the former Deputy Inspector General of the Defense Health Agency, a 140,000 person agency, and was most recently the agency’s Liaison Officer at USAFRICOM, providing strategic advice and solutions for operational military health. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Modern Military Association of America.