A Democratic lawmaker is asking FBI Director Kash Patel to explain whether he directed more than $1 million in taxpayer funds toward loyal members of his team as a “personal slush fund.”
In a letter sent Monday, Representative Jamie Raskin, ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, said lawmakers had information alleging the FBI director issued bonuses of up to $40,000 to several agents, including those in an internal group known as the “director’s advisory team” and assigned to his security detail.
“We have been receiving troubling reports that you may be using part of the budget of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as a personal slush fund to make tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in unlawful ‘bonus’ payments to loyalist MAGA henchmen who have engaged in misconduct,” Raskin wrote in the letter.
The ranking Democrat said it was unclear if the payments were “a corrupt attempt to slide cash to friends” or if they were made “to ensure silence” from agents who “witness your inebriation,” referring to allegations of Patel drinking on the job.
Raskin wrote that while Patel has the authority to issue bonuses, there were doubts over whether agents who received payments were deserving. Raskin highlighted reports that Patel had gutted the bureau of career employees who had been involved in investigations into President Donald Trump.
The Independent has asked the FBI for comment.
“Why are these agents receiving extra pay simply for doing their jobs? Are they, in fact, collecting bonus compensation for engaging in actions outside of their duties and outside of the law?” Raskin asked in the letter.
The ranking Democrat pointed out that many career FBI agents had been fired over the last year for being on teams that assisted in the raid at Mar-a-Lago after Donald Trump allegedly retained classified documents when he left office for the first time; contributed to Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into the 2020 election; or worked on cases against January 6 rioters.
Since taking over the FBI last year, Patel has been accused of mismanagement and misconduct.
The FBI director has been accused of misusing FBI resources, such as directing SWAT personnel to protect his girlfriend, country musician Alexis Wilkins, or using the FBI jet for personal trips. As director, Patel is required to use the jet for all travel but is supposed to reimburse the government for the cost of a commercial ticket.
A recent report from The Atlantic accused Patel of having a drinking problem, being unreachable and failing to lead the FBI during critical moments. Patel has denied the allegations and sued the publication for $250 million.
Raskin did not explain where House Democrats received the information about the alleged bonuses but said they could “confirm” that numerous agents received bonuses of roughly $8,000 every two-week pay period for five consecutive payments.
He also claimed they could confirm that payments were made with such haste that it depleted the FBI reserve account for bonuses, resulting in some payments bouncing back.
Some of the loyalists who allegedly received bonuses are part of the director’s advisory team, composed of agents who are willing to pursue actions against targets set by the Trump administration, NOTUS reported in May. Agents on the team have searched through case files, internal correspondence and other material to build cases against the president’s perceived enemies.
A senior FBI official told NOTUS, that the director’s advisory team was created last year to investigate abuses that occurred under the last three administrations. They clarified that it was detached from the FBI’s field office in Washington, D.C.
Raskin wants Patel to provide documentation of the payments and who they went to, the corresponding salaries of those who received the bonuses and other communications about the legality of the rewards by June 29.
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