Kash Patel draws flak for posting FBI case details on social media ‘to make himself look good’

Kash Patel speaks during a press conference at the Department of Justice headquarters in Washington DC on 23 June 2026 Photograph: Bonnie Cash/UPI/Shutterstock View image in fullscreen Kash Patel speaks during a press conference at the Department of Justice headquarters in Washington DC on 23 June 2026 Photograph: Bonnie Cash/UPI/Shutterstock Kash Patel draws flak for posting FBI case details on social media ‘to make himself look good’ FBI veterans believe director may have flouted legal rules by prematurely divulging details of UFC attack plot inquiry Kash Patel may have flouted legal constraints and the FBI’s disciplinary code in prematurely divulging arrests in an alleged plot to attack this month’s Ultimate Fighting Championship bout at the White House, bureau veterans have alleged. The FBI director was accused of “jumping the gun” by posting details on social media of five arrests in an investigation carried out in conjunction with the Secret Service. It subsequently emerged the inquiry was sealed by a court order, theoretically constraining Patel from publicly disclosing it. There is a general prohibition against publicising information related to sealed cases while the order remains in force, under US federal law. Although exceptions exist allowing for revealing their contents, formal court authorization would be needed to do so. Patel has previously invoked court orders sealing grand jury testimony as justification for the FBI’s inability to release many of its files on Jeffrey Epstein. On 16 June, two days after the White House cage match, Patel revealed in an early morning tweet that five men suspected of planning to attack the event with drones and explosives had been “stopped cold”, and praised “the rapid action of the FBI, our partners, and the Department of Justice in a multi-state operation”. But the problem, according to several law enforcement officials involved in the case , was that the investigation was still ongoing and agents were still actively searching for additional suspects at the time Patel shared his post. Kash Patel accused of directing $1m to ‘slush fund’ to pay bonuses to loyalist agents Read more “While the result represented the best of investigative work, it was also nothing out of the ordinary for this law enforcement team – we are built to detect, respond to, and bring to justice those who threaten the lives of American citizens – particularly during large gatherings like the historic UFC 250 fight,” Patel wrote. FBI insiders say the post is consistent with the director’s appetite for details of investigations that he can then publicize on social media. Lauren Anderson, who oversaw counterterrorism investigations in the US and abroad during a 29-year career at the agency, said several current and former agents who had been in meetings with Patel told her he was more focused details that he could release than on investigative developments and said they had been pressed to pass on such information. Patel’s tende