FBI Director Kash Patel has said the bureau is reviewing the conduct of a task force that examined foreign influence threats before the 2020 presidential election, drawing criticism from national security writer Marcy Wheeler.
Wheeler said an unsigned and undated letter attributed to Patel appears to be the “centerpiece” of a broader effort to discredit FBI agents who investigated suspected Russian influence operations involving figures linked to efforts against then-candidate Joe Biden. She also noted that the document was not written on FBI stationery.
In the letter, Patel said he “immediately disbanded” the FBI’s Foreign Influence Task Force after becoming director. He said an internal review was examining whether the unit used information from an assessment known as Round River to undermine or influence investigations by concentrating on confidential sources connected to the Biden family.
“We remain concerned that defensive briefings to Congress may have been overly focused on just Biden and Ukraine rather than the balanced picture of all foreign threats,” the letter reads.
Patel said that although “these alleged activities occurred during a different era within the Bureau,” his team is “firmly committed to identifying, investigating, and holding accountable all abuses.”
Wheeler disputed the premise of the review. She wrote that the task force had identified attempts by journalist John Solomon and former Donald Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani to circulate material tied to foreign influence efforts aimed at damaging Biden before the 2020 election.
According to Wheeler’s report, the letter draws on a spreadsheet prepared by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and released by Bill Pulte. She said the material revives allegations from informants whose credibility has been challenged, including former FBI source Alexander Smirnov.
The dispute comes as Patel is reportedly considering an October 14-15 visit to Moscow and St. Petersburg, only weeks before the US midterm elections. Reports have said the proposed schedule remains preliminary and could change.
Wheeler also cited a recent article from Moskovsky Komsomolets, a Russian newspaper she described as having a history of publishing material linked to the FSB, Russia’s domestic security agency. The Russian report speculated that Patel could receive compromising information about Democrats or act as a channel to President Vladimir Putin.
Those suggestions have not been independently confirmed, and the Russian article’s discussion was speculative. It also remains unclear whether Patel’s reported trip will take place, whom he might meet or what subjects would be discussed.
Wheeler nevertheless argued that the timing of Patel’s review and the potential visit raised concerns about the bureau’s approach to Russian influence threats.
“They’re just promising to do Russia’s bidding in plain sight,” Wheeler wrote.