Kash Patel has spent his first month as FBI director cracking down on some of the Trump administration’s top law enforcement priorities, including violent crime, gang activity and drug trafficking – all while managing to avoid much of the high-profile controversy that has embroiled some other senior national security officials.
His early moves have earned him accolades from Republicans in Congress, who have been quick to praise Patel’s first weeks in office, including his effort to move quickly and share certain documents long requested by majorities on the House and Senate Judiciary Committees.
“Under the leadership of Attorney General Pam Bondi, the Bureau is working aggressively each and every day to find violent criminals, no matter where they are, and bring them to justice,” Patel told Fox News Digital in reflection on his first few weeks heading up the bureau.
“Any success thus far is a credit to the brave men and women of the FBI and our state and local law enforcement partners who do amazing work to execute the mission,” he added.
Just five weeks after his confirmation as FBI director, here are some of Patel’s earliest – and most significant – wins.
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FBI agents next to the FBI logo. Photos by Getty and AP, illustration via Fox News Digital. (AP/Getty Images)
Arrest of top MS-13 member
The FBI this week announced the arrest of the top U.S. MS-13 leader, 24-year-old Salvadoran national Henrry Josue Villatoro Santos.
Santos was captured in Woodbridge, Virginia, and was charged with being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm.
Officials told Fox News this week that Santos is one of the top three leaders of the MS-13 gangs in the U.S.
Bondi, the U.S. attorney general, and Patel both watched the arrest take place from a nearby tactical operation center.
In an interview with Fox News, Bondi praised the team for executing a “clean, safe operation” and credited…
