The report comes weeks after Iran-linked hackers calling themselves Handala claimed to have breached Patel’s personal email and published photographs and documents online, according to Reuters.
Past controversies
The report adds to the mounting questions over Patel’s leadership of the U.S.’s principal federal law enforcement agency and is the latest in a series of controversies surrounding him.
In September 2025, Patel drew criticism among lawmakers across the political aisle over his handling of the manhunt for right-wing commentator Charlie Kirk’s killer, especially after he prematurely announced that the authorities had detained a suspect.
At the time, Patel said in an interview that he had “no regrets” about the social media post, claiming that he was acting in the interest of transparency.
“Mr. Patel was so anxious to take credit for finding Mr. Kirk’s assassin that he violated one of the basics of effective law enforcement: At critical stages of investigation, shut up and let the professionals do their job,” Sen. Dick Durbin, a Democrat from Illinois, said in an FBI oversight hearing at the time.
