FBI nominee Kash Patel allegedly violated protocol during a hostage exchange deal, according to a new whistleblower report obtained by Senate Democrats. (Reuters)
In the October 2020 case, the deal went forward without any issues, with the two Americans and the remains of the third being transferred to U.S. custody. In exchange, the U.S. arranged for the release of some 200 Houthi fighters being held prisoner in Saudi Arabia.
Alexander Gray, who served as Chief of Staff for the White House National Security Council under Trump's first administration, also called the allegations "simply absurd."
Robert C. Obrien, who served as National Security Advisor from 2019 to 2021, argued that the whistleblower was jeopardizing decades of bipartisan work on hostage deals by coming forward.
Senate Democrats delivered the whistleblower letter on Monday morning to Acting FBI Director Brian Driscoll, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Acting Treasury Secretary David Lebryk and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CBS News reported.
The report comes just days before Patel is set to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee for an extensive confirmation hearing.
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The Senate's "advice and consent" role allows the body to review the president's appointments and provide oversight on key positions. The picks require a majority vote in the Senate with Republicans holding a 53-47 vote advantage over Democrats.
Several of President Donald Trump's cabinet nominees face rough paths toward nomination. (Evan Vucci/AP)
Patel was an integral part of the creation of a memo released by then-Chair Devin Nunes in February 2018, which detailed the DOJ's and FBI’s surveillance of former Trump campaign aide Carter Page under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
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He’s been a loyal ally to Trump for years, finding common cause over their shared skepticism of government surveillance and the "deep state" — a catchall used by Trump to refer to unelected members of government bureaucracy.
Fox News' Michael Dorgan contributed to this report
Anders Hagstrom is a reporter with Fox News Digital covering national politics and major breaking news events. Send tips to Anders.Hagstrom@Fox.com, or on Twitter: @Hagstrom_Anders.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fbi-director-nominee-kash-patel-broke-hostage-rescue-protocol-whistleblower