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MaddowBlog-Too eager for the spotlight, FBI's Patel keeps making the same embarrassing mistake
Patel’s false information about the Brown University shooting would be easier to overlook as a one-time slip-up. But it wasn’t.
https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/fbi-kash-patel-mistakes-brown-shooting
On Saturday afternoon, as much of the country was learning about the deadly shooting at Brown University, Donald Trump used his social media platform to offer the public an update. The president wrote, “I have been briefed on the shooting that took place at Brown University in Rhode Island. The FBI is on the scene. The suspect is in custody.”
That wasn’t true. Many Americans learned long ago that the incumbent president is not a reliable source of information during major events, and this offered a timely reminder as to why: There was no suspect in custody, and as of this writing, the search is still underway......
Passing the buck here was tough to defend, although as it turns out, Trump wasn’t the only member of his team to respond to the deadly shooting in an unfortunate way. NBC News reported:
The false information from bureau’s hapless director would’ve been easier to overlook if it had been a one-time slip-up......
The circumstances prompted The New York Times to note, “Mr. Patel’s impulse to seize the spotlight and publicize the work of the bureau under his leadership has revived questions about his competence and his future in the administration. It has added to the growing criticism over his recreational travel, his use of a SWAT team to protect his girlfriend and his handling of the Epstein files.”
After Republicans confirmed Patel in February, he faced a challenge his predecessors did not: Because he lacked qualifications, relevant skills, knowledge, credibility and experience, he needed to invest real time and energy into proving his mettle, rolling up his sleeves and doing the work to earn a reputation as a serious and capable figure.
Months later, he’s done largely the opposite, careening through a series of avoidable missteps.
The latest of these incidents, in other words, was awful for Patel, but making matters worse is the degree to which few have been surprised by the latest evidence of his routine incompetence.
That wasn’t true. Many Americans learned long ago that the incumbent president is not a reliable source of information during major events, and this offered a timely reminder as to why: There was no suspect in custody, and as of this writing, the search is still underway......
Passing the buck here was tough to defend, although as it turns out, Trump wasn’t the only member of his team to respond to the deadly shooting in an unfortunate way. NBC News reported:
On Sunday morning, FBI Director Kash Patel posted a lengthy X message about the work the bureau had done to help detain someone he called ‘a person of interest in a hotel room in Coventry, RI, based off a lead by the [police department in Providence, Rhode Island].’
About 12 hours later, law enforcement officials released that person from custody, with Providence police pushing back on Patel’s earlier post. Police said the lead about the person of interest was ‘picked up by’ the FBI, not local authorities, as Patel had indicated.
The false information from bureau’s hapless director would’ve been easier to overlook if it had been a one-time slip-up......
The circumstances prompted The New York Times to note, “Mr. Patel’s impulse to seize the spotlight and publicize the work of the bureau under his leadership has revived questions about his competence and his future in the administration. It has added to the growing criticism over his recreational travel, his use of a SWAT team to protect his girlfriend and his handling of the Epstein files.”
After Republicans confirmed Patel in February, he faced a challenge his predecessors did not: Because he lacked qualifications, relevant skills, knowledge, credibility and experience, he needed to invest real time and energy into proving his mettle, rolling up his sleeves and doing the work to earn a reputation as a serious and capable figure.
Months later, he’s done largely the opposite, careening through a series of avoidable missteps.
The latest of these incidents, in other words, was awful for Patel, but making matters worse is the degree to which few have been surprised by the latest evidence of his routine incompetence.
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