FBI Director Patel Faces Criticism Over Handling of Charlie Kirk Investigation

"...Patel's upbeat tone contrasted with frustration and anger..."

"...Some FBI employees told CNN they found it galling for Patel to claim personal credit..."

"...Patel's style also struck the FBI employees as not in keeping with how previous FBI directors handled similar situations..."

"...Other FBI employees found it ironic that Patel thanked some of the bureau's support staff key to investigations — since Patel has overseen moves to decimate those ranks..."

"...Patel's response during the rapid-fire series of events surrounding Kirk's horrific murder has led some allies of President Donald Trump to question both publicly and privately whether he is equipped to handle the country's top law enforcement agency..."

"...A MAGA loyalist and member of the first Trump administration, Patel was a controversial pick to lead the FBI from the start, with many Trump critics questioning whether he was qualified for the job..."

"...But now some of those concerns have begun seeping into conservative circles that Patel is a fixture of..."

"...The criticism over Patel's actions in the Kirk investigation isn't the first time Patel and his deputy, Dan Bongino, have faced blowback for their handling of a high-profile episode..."

"...An FBI official defended Patel to CNN, noting that the suspect was only eventually apprehended after a family member saw photos of the suspect released by the FBI..."

"...The official also pointed out that the arrest of Robinson came quicker than other recent high-profile manhunts..."

"...There is no indication that Patel's job is at risk..."

"...A source familiar with the matter said Patel had spoken with the president after the arrest and noted that the president was pleased with the quick work..."

"...When asked for comment, the FBI told CNN they "have nothing additional to provide"..."

"...Patel's rush to social media — followed by an embarrassing walk back — only added to the intense pressure already bearing down on him as the hours stretched on after the shooting and no suspect was identified..."

"...A close personal friend of Kirk, Patel felt the weight personally and professionally, sources said..."

"...That pressure appeared to be on display a day later, when Patel lashed out at agents during an intense and expletive-ridden virtual video meeting Thursday afternoon with FBI teams across the country, according to sources familiar with the matter..."

"...Patel accused agents of not giving him information fast enough, including not waking him up in the middle of the night when images were first discovered of the suspect, the sources said..."

"...He focused his anger at the Salt Lake City special agent in charge, who had only recently taken over the job after his predecessor was forced out..."

"...One source defended Patel, pointing to his relationship with Kirk and noting that it showed how passionate he was about catching the killer..."

"...Several current and former law enforcement officials told CNN that Patel and others in the administration may have also hampered the effort to find Kirk's murderer by firing dozens of senior-level officials who had decades of combined knowledge into the FBI's sophisticated tactics in finding and arresting criminals..."

"...That included the former head of FBI's Salt Lake City field office – whose jurisdiction covers the university where the shooting took place and who was one of the people forced out during an early-August purge..."

"...Three of those fired FBI agents on Wednesday sued Patel, as well as the FBI and DOJ, alleging that Patel carried out political firings at the behest of the White House or in reaction to online criticisms..."

"...After Patel's social media backtracking Wednesday, officials at the Justice Department, FBI and US Marshals Service became hesitant to say anything about the investigation to avoid another public misstep, sources familiar with the matter said..."

"...But criticism of the investigation's handling went beyond Patel's social media gaffe..."

"...There was frustration from some officials who thought precious time was wasted the first day after the shooting, including by the FBI not immediately releasing images of the shooter to the public..."

"...While it's not necessarily unusual they held off, sources say, the officials believed that the bureau could have acted faster..."

"...Another misstep, according to people close to the investigation, was that the FBI held onto the rifle Robinson allegedly used until late Thursday before turning it over to the ATF to begin analysis..."

"...Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche had to intervene, insisting that the weapon be sent immediately, the sources said..."

"...As the chaotic investigation continued, a series of unverified, preliminary tips from the ATF were leaked to the public that claimed agents found engravings that they interpreted as "expressing transgender and anti-fascist ideology" on ammunition inside a weapon believed to be the one used by Robinson..."

"...None of the bullet casings recovered alongside the gun appear to have been engraved with statements or symbols related to transgender people, despite earlier reports that they expressed transgender "ideology"..."

"...Officials who spoke during a news conference Friday did not address whether the inscriptions included references to trans people, but none of the writings they described appear to have any connection to that community..."

"...One law enforcement source told CNN that some of the markings instead appear to be a reference to video games..."

"...On Thursday evening, Patel and Bongino personally traveled to Utah and toured the scene of Kirk's assassination..."

"...The FBI director then stood silently behind state officials as they played new security footage of the shooter fleeing that scene..."

"...Later that night, the suspect would be brought into custody..."

"...Robinson was identified by his father in FBI photos and confessed to his father when confronted, officials said..."

"...The next morning, the news was announced first by Trump during an appearance on Fox and Friends..."