Kash Patel Shuts Down ‘Fake News’ CNN’s Latest Hit Piece

FBI Director Kash Patel refuted a “fake news” report from CNN that alleged he is readying plans to reduce the number of agents in the U.S. Department of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, a key arm of the government’s domestic security apparatus.

The fiery former national security advisor to President Donald Trump insisted that CNN had its facts wrong when it reported that he is preparing to implement a “major cutback” in the department’s workforce. In a story released on Saturday, the outlet stated that Patel “has outlined plans to move as many as 1,000 ATF agents to the FBI” and “cutting ATF’s agents by more than a third.”

“The move represents a major cutback of the ATF, an agency that long has been in the crosshairs of gun rights groups that believe its work infringes on Second Amendment rights,” CNN said. “The ATF has about 2,600 agents and more than 5,000 employees, a number that has remained largely unchanged for years.”

“After publication of this story and resulting pushback including from Republican allies, FBI officials began to back off aspects of their plan, according to a US official familiar with the matter,” the report stated.

On Monday, Patel circulated a memo to all ATF personnel refuting CNN’s claims.

“I want to address a report from this weekend speculating about the intentions of FBI leadership with personnel decisions at the ATF,” Patel began the memo obtained by Fox News Digital. “This weekend, CNN reported news of a plan on the part of our leadership to ‘cut as many as one third’ of ATF agents and reallocate 1,000 agents over to the FBI. The report even suggested our leadership team altered course after reading a news report, and ultimately backed off certain aspects of changes. This ‘report’ is entirely false.”

“The fake news will NEVER be responsible for operational command authority over the ATF, we are,” Patel declared. “The brave men and women of the ATF who courageously dedicate themselves to protecting the American public will not have their security jeopardized by the media’s disinformation campaigns. When we make decisions, they will be final, regardless of the input of CNN or any other news organization.”

A brash and unabashed operator, Patel, 45, was confirmed last month and has since promised to “wage war” on the inner workings of the intelligence community. He has stayed in lock step with President Donald Trump’s promise to dismantle “deep state” departments that the president alleges were weaponized against him by the Biden-Harris administration.

Patel previewed his plans for the Bureau during his swearing-in ceremony, during which he promised to hold mainstream media outlets accountable for their reporting.

“Look, I know the media’s in here, and if you have a target, the target’s right here,” Patel said as he pointed to himself. “It is not the men and women at the FBI.”

“You have written everything you possibly can about me that’s fake, malicious, slanderous and defamatory. Keep it coming. Bring it on, but leave the men and women of the FBI out of it. They deserve better,” Patel warned the news outlets, prompting supporters in the room to burst into applause.