Kash Patel’s Failure To Register as a Foreign Agent Must Be Investigated
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Public Citizen filed a complaint with Evan Turgeon, the chief of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) Unit of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, urging an examination into whether FBI director nominee Kash Patel should have registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
In his ethics agreement with the Office of Government Ethics (OGE), Patel revealed for the first time that he was previously hired by the Embassy of Qatar to provide consulting services. Since this information came to light after his confirmation hearing had concluded, senators were unable to question him on the subject.
“Kash Patel’s undisclosed work on behalf of the Embassy of Qatar raises red flags about his ability to operate ethically and within the best interests of U.S. national security if confirmed to head the F.B.I.,” said Craig Holman, a government ethics expert at Public Citizen. “Patel should immediately be brought back before the Senate to provide additional context about these ties and answer questions from senators about how his former work might affect his leadership of the Bureau.”
The Embassy of Qatar was a client of Patel’s until November 2024, a time period in which Patel also served as a foreign policy advisor to the Trump campaign and the incoming administration, which was not disclosed. Given the history of individuals from Trump’s 2016 campaign also evading FARA registration and disclosures specifically on behalf of the government of Qatar, this raises significant national security concerns.
At the very least, appropriate remedial actions should then include belated registrations and disclosure of the amount paid by the embassy, the interests of the government of Qatar pursued, the activities Patel and his firm conducted to pursue these interests, and the contacts made on behalf of Qatar.
Public Citizen also sent a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee today urging senators to recall Patel for another hearing to testify on this matter before any votes are scheduled.