This week's high-day confirmation before hearing I wish Patel To be the FBI Director, a bureau internal source has come forward with new information, questioning Patel's decision during sensitive mortgage rescue missions, CBS News has learned.
The whistleblower, whose identity is being stopped by the Senate Democrats from fear of vengeance, worked with the FBI's mortgage Recovery Fusion Sale, which inspires the government's mission to be held hostage abroad. The whistleblower alleges that Patel violated the protocol firmly instigated to wrapping such operations, unless the captives are safe in the American hands and their families are not informed.
In a letter received by CBS News, the ranking Democrat of Senate Judication Committee, Sen Dick Darbin wrote that Patel served in the National Security Council during the first Trump Term, “Broke Protocol about Broke Protocol without any October 2020 On the recovery of the then progress of two Americans held by Iranian -backed terrorists in Yemen.
According to the letter, on October 14 at 10:55 am, Wall Street Journal A story was published in which Patel confirmed that two American captives and one -third of remains were exchanged for two hundred Houthi fighters that were being held in Saudi Arabia. According to the letter, the news report was published “The hostage was confirmed by the United States several hours ago.” In the end, the Americans returned home safely, but FBI officials involved in the mission were vivid to Patel's leaks, which they considered careless and potentially tragic consequences at risk.
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc.
Democratic senators sent a letter to the performances of FBI Director Brian Driskl, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Acting Treasury Secretary David Labric and State Secretary Marco Rubio on Monday morning. It asks for all records of communication regarding the rescue of prisoners between Patel and FBI's mortgage recovery fusion cell, as well as any record has shown the authority to disclose the mortgage deal, before American Safe was safe in America, hands, hands, hands, hands, hands, hands, hands. ,
No Republican Senators of the Senate Judiciary Committee signed the letter.
In response to the allegations, a source close to confirmation said, “Mr. Patel was a public guard, the prosecutor was decorated and fulfilled the National Security Officer, who kept the Americans safe. He was a success in every branch of the government from the court. The track is a record.
The Durbin letter confirmed on Thursday provides a glimpse in the Democratic strategy for hearing. Informed sources tell CBS News that senators would like to show that Patel is engaged in a pattern of poor decisions and self-aggression about sensitive life-death missions and to doubt his fitness to lead the FBI. Use that illustration for.
The letter stated that any officer who puts a mission in danger or Americans in danger for public infamous and personal gain is disqualified to lead the country's primary federal law enforcement and investigative agency. “
Democrats plan to highlight another example, where Patel has been criticized for dealing with a sensitive operation aimed at freeing American prisoners. Two weeks after the Yemen hostage deal, Patel found himself in the middle of another high -risk operation. Philip Walton was a 27 -year -old American, seized by armed men in his farm in Niger near Nigerian border.
The kidnappers rushed Walton to Nigeria and demanded a million dollars in the ransom. There were also indications that the kidnappers were considering turning to a terrorist group working in that area. Patel was with President Trump on a visit to Fort Brag, a military establishment in North Carolina, home to the US Army's Special Operations Command. When they were there, Patel got intelligence that Walton would be kept in an encroachment for several hours, so a courageous seal team to save the hostage is enough time to staging 6 raids. The operation was signed by Mr. Trump, including parachutes in northern Nigeria and trekking for miles in the premises where Walton was being held.
Then-Defense Secretary Mark Asper Whether the scheme was greenlight, but still there were some last questions that they needed to give a go order before answering – mainly whether the Nigerian government gave American permission to use its aerial place. According to Asper's memoir, Patel, who was the senior director of anti -terrorism at that time, assured the Defense Department officials that the state department had obtained necessary permission from the Nigerians. But Patel's information was wrong: Nigerian people did not approve.
By this time, the Air Force aircraft carrying the Navy was in the air at a distance of a few miles from the Nigerian border. Asper wrote in his memoir, “A Sacred Oth”, he realized that the government had to decide a yearning. He told the White House that they could proceed with the operation and take the risk of shooting their aircraft – or canceled the mission and recall an important opportunity to save Walton. But at the last minute, the word came that the state department was approved to use the Nigerian airspace. The mission proceeded, innocently executed, and Walton was returned for security.
But the role Phetle played, asper and other officials were angry at it, assuming that he had put himself in an operation in a violation of regular protocols, and then almost false information broadcast and bote it. According to Asper's account, Patel's negligence took a significant risk for seal.
He wrote in his memoir, “I was worried that an aircraft in the sky for an additional hour would have to be packed in a burning hole or on special operators, it can affect their readiness in any way,” they have their memoirs Wrote in
Asper also wrote about the incident, “My team suspected that Patel made the story of approval, but he did not have all the facts.”
Patel has denied the version of the Asper of the events. His own book, “Government gangsters,” Patel portrayed Asper as a “deep-state” actor, who always felt to end the President's agenda, “anti-terrorism in Africa and Middle East By obstructing the raid. “Argued that Mr. Trump had the final right to order the mission.
Last week, Darbin met Patel and asked him about Asper's account about his role in almost the bottled Nigerian raids. Sources said that Patel again denied the version of Asper of the events. Darbin was not yet aware of the whistleblower about Yemen's mortgage deal, but he is expected to closely question the FBI candidate about that episode at Thursday's confirmation hearing.
However, Patel answered those questions, there is no suspense on how Durbin and his partner Damocrats will vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee. After his meeting with Patel, Durbin issued a statement saying he would not vote to confirm Patel.
“Kash Patel has neither the experience, nature, nor the decision to lead the FBI,” his statement states.