FBI Director Kash Patel has been accused of directing taxpayer-funded bonus payments to political allies at the agency, pulling from what Rep. Jamie Raskin calls his “personal slush fund.”
Mr. Raskin, the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, launched an investigation this week into Mr. Patel over allegations that he directed over $1 million in taxpayer-funded bonuses on top of their usual salaries to his inner circle.
The Maryland Democrat said that information received by the committee shows that Mr. Patel’s office issued recurring bonus payments to agents on his “Director’s Advisory Team” and members of his security detail, which Mr. Raskin said exceeded statutory pay limits in some cases.
The internal unit was formed in 2025 to dig through internal files and examine the conduct of federal law enforcement officials who had investigated President Trump and his allies. Congressional Democrats, such as Mr. Raskin, and critics raised concerns that this unit functioned as a “payback squad.”
Multiple individuals are reported to have received five consecutive $8,000 payments, despite many already hitting the maximum federal employee salary.
“Why are these agents receiving extra pay simply for doing their jobs? Are they, in fact, collecting bonus compensation for engaging in actions outside of their duties and outside of the law?” he wrote in the Monday letter to Mr. Patel.
Considering the director’s allegations of excessive drinking, erratic behavior and unexplained absences, Mr. Raskin suggested that the payments were meant to “ensure the silence of the agents who witness your inebriation and accompanying professional negligence and misconduct.”
“Either way, these freelance awards appear to constitute gross mismanagement of public funds and an abuse of authority by the Director’s Office,” he continued.
Mr. Raskin said that the committee can confirm that Mr. Patel has depleted the FBI reserve accounts for bonus payments fast enough to cause payments to bounce back from exhausted accounts.
The ranking member requested a full account of all bonuses, awards or other payments made in addition to any employee’s salary, including the amount awarded, who it was awarded to and who authorized the award.
Democrats currently have limited authority to unilaterally issue subpoenas or compel the FBI to hand over documents, as Republicans hold the majority in the House. But if Democrats retake the chamber, they would gain the unilateral power to issue subpoenas.
“We write to find out precisely how much slush fund largess you have put on the American taxpayer’s tab.”
