FBI Director Patel working ‘aggressively’ to comply with congressional record requests ahead of deadlines

EXCLUSIVE: FBI Director Kash Patel is working “aggressively” to comply ahead of schedule with congressional document requests in an effort to follow through on his commitment for the bureau to provide transparency to the American people, Fox News Digital has learned. 

On Friday, the FBI sent a letter to the House Judiciary Committee notifying the panel that it was handing over a tranche of documents pursuant to a subpoena from Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. 

Fox News Digital has learned that the records shared by the FBI included more than 400 pages on topics the committee had long been seeking, dating back to the Biden administration, relating to topics such as former Attorney General Merrick Garland’s school board memo and the Jan. 6 pipe bomb investigation.

The FBI’s compliance came more than a week before the March 17 deadline set by Jordan. 

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The FBI also turned over documents related to the bureau’s engagement with social media entities and the now-disbanded Foreign Influence Task Force. 

Fox News Digital has learned that the documents production included “minimal redactions” and that the FBI plans to turn over additional records to the House Judiciary Committee on those topics in the coming weeks. 

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“We are thankful for Director Patel’s work and we will have more updates soon,” Russel Dye, spokesperson for Jordan, told Fox News Digital Monday. 

Patel’s efforts come after Republicans on Capitol Hill, for years — under the leadership of FBI Directors Christopher Wray and James Comey — have complained about the FBI missing deadlines for documents requests and defying congressional subpoenas.

The FBI is also working with Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and his team to honor their document requests. Fox News Digital has learned that the FBI plans to comply with Grassley’s requests ahead of schedule. 

When asked for comment on Patel’s efforts, Grassley said: “Praise the Lord.”

The moves come as a key part of Patel’s mission to restore faith and trust in the FBI through full transparency, an FBI source told Fox News Digital. 

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Meanwhile, privately, Patel has given his team at the FBI a mandate to “work aggressively” with congressional committees to ensure “their needs are met.” 

A source familiar told Fox News Digital that Patel has been “personally asking staff for updates on getting Jordan and Grassley documents” and has done so “several times a day.” 

More documents are expected to be delivered to Congress from the FBI in the coming days. 

“Director Patel is adamant about restoring faith and trust in the FBI through full transparency and engaging with Congress is a critical part of that effort,” FBI spokesman Ben Williamson told Fox News Digital. “We will continue to work with both House and Senate Committees to ensure the American people get the FBI they deserve.”