Fbi

FBI likely to disband one of its Washington-based public corruption squads

The FBI is disbanding a Washington-based squad that investigates allegations of fraud and public corruption against members of Congress and other federal officials, people familiar with the matter said Thursday. The move is part of a broader reorganization of the FBI's Washington field office, said one FBI official familiar with the plans, adding that the bureau would continue to pursue investigations into alleged corruption by public officials. It was not immediately clear where the agents on the squad might be reassigned, though the office does have other squads focused on public corruption in the District of Columbia and Virginia. The people who confirmed the FBI's decision insisted on anonymity to discuss personnel changes that had not been previously announced. The action comes as the Trump administration has overhauled its approach to enforcement of public corruption, including by moving to dramatically slash the size of a prestigious section of Justice Department prosecutors

FBI chief Patel says bureau needs more funding, breaks from Trump admin

Kash Patel's remarks came after the 2026 budget proposal indicated a cut of over $500 mn from the FBI's funding as a part of the White House's effort to 'reform and streamline' the department

Kash Patel condemns Pahalgam attack, assures full support to Indian govt

Patel stated that the Pahalgam attack is a reminder of the constant threats that the world faces from the evil of terrorism

What did FBI's Kash Patel say on gangster Happy Passia's arrest?

Earlier this year, the NIA had announced a reward of ₹5 lakh for information leading to Happy Passia's arrest, over his suspected involvement in grenade attacks targeting Punjab police stations

Gangster Happy Passia, behind 14 terror attacks in Punjab, held in US

Harpreet Singh Alias Happy Passia, a native of Ajnala tehsil in Amritsar, is closely associated with Pakistan-based terrorist Harvinder Singh Sandhu alias Rinda

Signal chat not 'FBI thing', FBI has long history of such inquiries: Trump

FBI Director Kash Patel was not part of a Signal chat in which other Trump administration national security officials discussed detailed attack plans, but that didn't spare him from being questioned by lawmakers this week about whether the nation's premier law enforcement agency would investigate. Patel made no such commitments during the course of two days of Senate and House hearings. Instead, he testified that he had not personally reviewed the text messages that were inadvertently shared with the editor-in-chief for The Atlantic who was mistakenly included on an unclassified Signal chat. That Patel would be grilled on what the FBI might do was hardly surprising. Even as President Donald Trump insisted "it's not really an FBI thing, the reality is that the FBI and Justice Department for decades have been responsible for enforcing Espionage Act statutes governing the mishandling whether intentional or negligent of national defense information like the kind shared on Signal, a ..

FBI, ATF form task force to investigate Tesla vandalism, arson cases

The incidents come amid escalating backlash against Tesla CEO Elon Musk and his role in President Donald Trump's administration

US DOJ, FBI announce new task force to target Hamas over Oct 7 attack

The Justice Department on Monday announced the creation of a task force to investigate Hamas for its October 7, 2023, attack on Israel as well as potential civil rights violations and acts of antisemitism by anyone supporting the militant group. Agents and prosecutors participating in Joint Task Force October 7, or JTF 10-7, will investigate and look to bring charges against Hamas militants directly responsible for the rampage in southern Israel, the department said. "The barbaric Hamas terrorists will not win and there will be consequences, Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement announcing the task force. The attack killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and Hamas took 251 hostages. It touched off an Israeli counteroffensive that has destroyed vast areas of Gaza, displaced most of the population and killed over 48,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many were combatants. The Biden administration's .

Will keep FBI in DC, scrap plan to move to Maryland, says Donald Trump

Trump said he was going to stop the move, castigating Maryland - a heavily Democratic state - and saying relocating the FBI would leave it too far away from the DOJ

FBI director Kash Patel seeks direct line to Trump, skips chain of command

Kash Patel wants a secure line to Donald Trump from both his FBI office and his house. Patel's request skips over Attorney General Pam Bondi, changing how things are usually done

FBI joins search for missing Indian-origin student in Dominican Republic

The FBI has joined the search for a 20-year-old Indian student who went missing nearly a week ago while on spring break in the Dominican tourist town of Punta Cana, police said on Tuesday. Dominican police said they are re-interviewing people who were with Sudiksha Konanki, the University of Pittsburgh student, before she vanished in the pre-dawn hours of March 6 at a beach in front of the Riu Republica Hotel. The hotel said in a statement that Konanki's disappearance coincided with a power outage that prompted multiple guests to head to the beach where she was last seen. Dominican President Luis Abinader told reporters that he lamented the situation. We are concerned, he said on Monday during his weekly meeting with the press. All government agencies are searching because the latest information we have from one of them, from the last person who was with the young woman, what he says according to the reports is that a wave, while on the beach, crashed into them. Abinader also ...

FBI committed to bringing home US hostages held in other nations: Director

The FBI will work to zero out the population of Americans detained or held hostage in foreign countries, Director Kash Patel said Thursday at a State Department ceremony honouring the hostage community and their families. My singular promise to you in this community is that I will do everything as the director of the FBI to marshal the resources necessary to make sure that no other American family feels that pain, he said during the flag-raising event. Patel spoke as the Trump administration is working to bring home Americans from multiple countries, including Russia and Venezuela. The government is also trying to secure the release of remaining American hostages held by Hamas, with Adam Boehler, President Donald Trump's nominee to be special envoy for hostage affairs, leading direct talks with the militant group. We still don't have everybody back," Patel said. Whatever lawful authorities we have at the FBI, we are going to give 24/7, 365 days to make sure that we zero out this ...

FBI New York chief James Dennehy retires after being ordered to step down

The head of the FBI's New York field office who was reported to have resisted Justice Department efforts to scrutinise agents who participated in politically sensitive investigations has told coworkers that he has retired from the bureau after being directed to do so. James Dennehy said in a message on Monday to colleagues obtained by The Associated Press that he was told late Friday to put in his retirement papers but was not given a reason. The move comes in a period of upheaval at the bureau as new FBI Director Kash Patel took office last month and as conservative podcast host and Trump loyalist Dan Bongino has been named to serve as deputy director. The bureau also remains in turmoil over a highly unusual demand by the Justice Department for the FBI to turn over a list of the thousands of agents who participated in investigations related to the Jan 6, 2021, riot at the US Capitol. The January directive was seen by some in the bureau as a possible precursor to mass ...

US Attorney General releases first phase of Jeffrey Epstein files

The first phase of released files largely comprise documents that have been previously leaked but never released in a formal capacity by the US government

Kash Patel sworn in as acting ATF chief, days after joining as FBI director

New FBI Director Kash Patel was sworn in Monday as acting chief of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, taking the helm of two separate and sprawling Justice Department agencies, according to a person familiar with the matter. Patel was sworn in at ATF headquarters just days after he became director of the FBI, said the person who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the matter. It's not immediately clear if President Donald Trump intends to nominate Patel for the ATF post, or what the administration's plans are for the agency that has long been the target of Republicans. Justice Department and White House officials didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. With about 5,500 employees, the ATF is responsible for enforcing the nation's laws around firearms, explosives and arson. Among other things, it's in charge of licensing federal firearms dealers, tracing guns used in crimes and analysing intelligence in ...

Key agencies, including FBI, refuse to comply with Musk's latest demand

Key US agencies, including the FBI and State Department, have instructed their employees not to comply with cost-cutting chief Elon Musk's demand that federal workers explain what they accomplished last week or risk losing their jobs. That resistance has intensified a pervasive sense of chaos and confusion, while highlighting a potential power struggle among President Donald Trump's allies, that is affecting federal employees across the country as a new workweek is about to begin. Musk's team sent an email to hundreds of thousands of federal employees on Saturday giving them roughly 48 hours to report five specific things they had accomplished last week. In a separate message on X, Musk said any employee who failed to respond by the deadline set in the email as 11:59 p.m. EST Monday would lose their job. Democrats and even some Republicans were critical of Musk's unusual directive, which came just hours after Trump encouraged him on social media to get more aggressive in reducin

Kash Patel 'pushes back' against Elon Musk's diktat to federal employees

Elon Musk, who heads the Department of Government Efficiency under the Trump administration, asked all federal employees to justify their work or lose their jobs

New FBI Director Kash Patel will also be named acting head of ATF

New FBI Director Kash Patel is expected to be named the acting head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, a Justice Department official said Saturday. Patel could be sworn in next week, the official said, putting Patel in charge of two of the Justice Department's largest agencies in an unusual arrangement that raises questions about the future of the bureau that has long drawn the ire of conservatives. The Justice Department official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the move before it's announced publicly. White House officials didn't immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday evening. Patel was sworn in Friday as FBI director after winning Senate approval despite Democrats' concerns about the steadfast Trump ally's plans to radically overhaul the FBI. ATF is a separate agency with about 5,500 employees and is responsible for enforcing the nation's laws around firearms, explosives and arson. Among other things, it's in charge of licens

Kash Patel sworn in as 9th FBI director, takes oath on Bhagavad Gita

Kash Patel is not the first Indian-American to swear an oath of office on the Bhagavad Gita. Previously, Congressman Suhas Subramanyam did the same during his swearing-in ceremony

Kash Patel gets Bollywood-style welcome as Trump aide shares 'Malhari' meme

Indian-origin Trump ally Kash Patel has been confirmed as FBI director in a 51-49 Senate vote, with the White House calling it a step toward restoring integrity and upholding justice