FBI Director Patel arrived in Moscow

Kash Patel, Director of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, arrived in Moscow on October 14 to meet with representatives of Russia’s FSB. 

Earlier, U.S. lawmakers had warned him about the risks this trip posed to U.S. national security.

 Politico had reported on Patel’s possible visit to Russia as early as July. He was also expected to visit St. Petersburg.

According to Reuters, Patel was establishing new channels of cooperation between U.S. law enforcement agencies and their Russian and Chinese counterparts to combat transnational crime. This raised concerns within the U.S. intelligence community over a possible shift from Washington’s previous policy.

On October 9, Democratic Congressmen Jamie Raskin and Jim Himes called on the FBI director to cancel the trip. They cited the history of FSB espionage operations against U.S. officials, Russian cyberattacks, and Moscow’s interference in U.S. elections.

The lawmakers also demanded a closed-door briefing for Congress to clarify the purpose of the visit, the planned meetings, and the measures in place to protect Patel from potential espionage.

Source: Rai News

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