The top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee has requested information from several government agencies and departments regarding allegations that Kash Patel violated protocols during an attempted hostage rescue mission in 2020.
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) sent a letter to acting FBI Director Brian Driscoll, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and acting Secretary of the Treasury David Lebryk on Monday asking for information regarding the rescue of Sandra Loli and Mikael Gidada, who were held captive by Iranian-backed militants in Yemen in October 2020.
This alleged incident took place during President Donald Trump's first term, and Patel was serving in the national security council. He is Trump's pick to lead the FBI and is expected to testify in front of Durbin's committee this Thursday.
Durbin alleges that Patel informed the Wall Street Journal of the hostage swap hours before they were actually in U.S. custody, endangering the deal, and that the source behind the allegation said the interagency communications made it clear for those involved that they would not comment publicly on the deal until it was completed.
“I have recently received highly credible information revealing that while serving in the first Trump Administration’s National Security Council, Kash Patel broke protocol regarding hostage rescues by publicly commenting without authorization on the then in-progress retrieval of two Americans held captive by Iranian-backed militants in Yemen in October 2020," he wrote.
Durbin said Patel allegedly "inserted himself inappropriately in a hostage recovery mission and violated these protocols."
Robert O'Brien, who served as Trump's national security adviser and as the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, called it a "fake story in an effort to smear Mr. Patel."
The deal occurred as intended and the United States arranged for the release of about 200 Houthi fighters held in Saudi Arabia in exchange.
"Mr. Patel was a public defender, decorated prosecutor, and accomplished national security official that kept Americans safe," a Trump transition official told Fox News. "He has a track record of success in every branch of government, from the courtroom to congressional hearing room to the situation room. There is no veracity to this anonymous source's complaints about protocol."
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Former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, who served in his position during Trump's first administration, alleged in his memoir that there was a separate incident involving Patel regarding another planned prisoner exchange.
Patel allegedly passed along information to the Pentagon that the Nigerian government had approved a U.S. request to enter its airspace and carry out a raid to free an American named Philipe Nathan Walton before they actually had. The U.S. aircraft had to circle in approved airspace until it received the green light. Patel denied the allegations at the time.
