Overview
- The New York Times reported that Joe Kent examined FBI materials to check for any outside assistance to the accused shooter, which senior FBI officials, including Director Kash Patel, viewed as overstepping and potentially interfering with the case.
- According to the reporting, the matter was taken up in a tense White House meeting that included Patel, Kent, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Vice President JD Vance and Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.
- Patel and Gabbard issued a joint statement pledging to leave no stone unturned, and FBI public-affairs official Ben Williamson said claims that Patel shut down a probe were false as a comprehensive FBI investigation continues.
- A high-ranking source told Fox News the portrayal of a serious dispute was exaggerated, while media accounts disagree on the extent and status of any separate NCTC-led review.
- Separately, a Times report said the FBI sent a letter strongly opposing a bid to expand Gabbard’s counterintelligence authority, underscoring broader turf tensions between her office and the bureau.