FBI Director Kash Patel on Thursday rejected a Fox News report alleging senior Trump administration officials, including Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, had lost confidence in his leadership, telling Newsmax the allegation was "an absolute falsehood."
Appearing on "Finnerty," Patel pushed back against the anonymously sourced claims cited in the Fox News story.
"Well, the deputy attorney general, myself, and the attorney general have an incredible relationship that goes back years. They are dear friends of mine," Patel said.
"They have responded on the record to that. I would hope you read that record. We are working tremendously well together day in and day out, and we don't rely on anonymous sources from Fox or anywhere else."
Patel said the report attempted to sow division within FBI leadership.
"They can paint their lies — just like the Democrats tried to paint their lies yesterday against me," he said, referring to his recent testimony before Congress. "They will not divide us. They will not divide our mission.
"We are delivering historic results, seizing drugs by the kilo every single day, securing our border, stopping terrorist activities from infiltrating our societies, and our counterintelligence programs have never been more successful — just to mention a few things we've done better than anyone has ever done before. So that report was a lie."
The disputed report surfaced as the White House prepared to swear in former Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey on Monday to a new role sharing FBI leadership responsibilities with Deputy Director Dan Bongino. The move has raised questions inside the bureau, where some officials said they were uncertain about the administration's rationale for creating the position, according to Fox News.
Fox News, citing multiple anonymous sources, reported earlier this week that Bondi and Blanche had soured on Patel. One source said, "Pam in particular cannot stand him. Blanche either."
Patel, however, insisted Thursday that his relationships with Bondi and Blanche remain strong and collaborative.
When pressed directly on whether the Fox News account was accurate, Patel was unequivocal.
"Entire falsehood," he said. "It's an absolute falsehood."
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Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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