By prematurely declaring the suspect was in custody, Patel further damaged his credibility, which was already undermined by the Epstein case.
Hours after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, FBI Director Kash Patel declared online that “the subject” in the killing was in custody. The shooter was not. The two men who had been detained were quickly released, and Utah officials acknowledged that the gunman remained at large.
The false assurance was more than a slip. It spotlighted the high-stakes uncertainty surrounding Patel’s leadership of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation when its credibility – and his own – are under extraordinary pressure.
