FBI Director Kash Patel revealed in a recent interview that lobbyists from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reached out “in a panic” after learning that the FBI planned to end its collaboration with the organization.
“When word got out that I was about to kick the ADL out, do you know who called this building?” Patel said during his sit-down interview. “The lobbyists for ADL, begging for a phone call. And I said, ‘No.’ That’s how I knew they were in the wrong the entire time, and we proved it.”
Patel explained that his decision to cut ties with the ADL came after an internal review determined that the group’s training and influence within the FBI had become politically biased.
Earlier this month, Patel confirmed that the FBI would terminate all partnerships with the ADL, citing concerns about fairness, transparency, and the organization’s alleged partisanship in its approach to extremism.
The ADL, for its part, has criticized Patel’s decision, calling it “dangerous” and claiming that the move could hinder efforts to combat hate crimes and domestic extremism.
The policy shift marks a sharp break from previous administrations that had long relied on ADL resources for training federal agents on hate groups and bias-motivated crimes.
