FBI Director Kash Patel is facing an investigation over allegations that he directed more than $1 million in taxpayer-funded bonus payments to a small circle of loyalist agents, according to a probe launched by Rep. Jamie Raskin, the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee.
Raskin alleged that Patel authorized substantial recurring payments to agents serving on his “Director’s Advisory Team” and members of his personal security detail. According to information obtained by the House Judiciary minority, some agents received nearly $8,000 every two weeks, despite already earning at the federal salary ceiling.
The scale of the disbursements was striking. The committee confirmed that multiple agents received at least five consecutive $8,000 payments in consecutive pay periods, amounting to close to $40,000 per person. The pace was so rapid that FBI reserve accounts set aside for bonus payments were drained completely, causing some payments to bounce from exhausted funds.
The main beneficiaries, according to Raskin, were agents serving on Patel’s Director’s Advisory Team, a unit created in 2025 and tasked with examining internal documents and government materials to expose federal law enforcement officials who had investigated Trump and his allies. Notus reported in May that the team has been referred to internally as a “payback squad” tasked with building politically motivated cases.
In his June 15 letter to Patel, Raskin questioned the purpose of the payments. “Why are these agents receiving extra pay simply for doing their jobs?” he wrote. “Are they, in fact, collecting bonus compensation for engaging in actions outside of their duties and outside of the law?”
Raskin also raised a darker possibility: that payments to agents on Patel’s personal security detail served to keep witnesses to the director’s private conduct silent. The letter cited reporting from the Atlantic alleging Patel had displayed erratic behavior and excessive drinking, and noted that agents on the protective detail had accompanied him on personal outings.
Patel has filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against the Atlantic and reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick over the article on his alleged drinking and absences. He has previously denied the allegations, stating in May that he has “never been intoxicated on the job.”
Raskin’s letter also catalogued a series of what he views as politically motivated firings, including that of former acting director Brian Driscoll, an FBI Medal of Valor recipient; Steven Jensen, who led the bureau’s response to the January 6 Capitol attack; and a dozen counterintelligence agents tracking Iranian threats, who were dismissed days before U.S. military strikes on Iran.
The FBI did not respond to requests for comment. Raskin gave Patel until June 29 to provide a full accounting of all bonus payments, the identities of those who received them, and any internal communications assessing their legality. As the minority party, Democrats currently lack authority to compel the FBI to hand over documents, though they would gain that power if they retake the House in November’s midterm elections.
Sources
- The Guardian — Reporting on Patel’s alleged directing of $1 million to a slush fund for bonus payments to loyalist agents, including specific payment amounts and the depletion of reserve accounts.
- U.S. House Judiciary Committee Democrats — Official press release detailing Ranking Member Raskin’s investigation launch, the payments to the Director’s Advisory Team, and the specific figures of $8,000 biweekly payments and $40,000 totals per agent.
- Courthouse News — Coverage of the investigation and confirmation of payment amounts exceeding statutory pay limits.
