Embattled FBI duo face renewed scrutiny over botched response to Brown University shooting

Kash Patel’s troubled tenure as Donald Trump’s FBI director may be ā€œat its end,ā€ according to multiple sources, in the wake of the recent mass shooting at Brown University along with a series of other perceived mishaps. Meanwhile, staffers also say that Deputy Director Dan Bongino is already ā€œout the door,ā€ signaling a larger shakeup at the agency.

Patel boasted Sunday on X that the FBI had brought in a ā€œperson of interestā€ in the Brown shooting using ā€œgeolocation capabilitiesā€ and then added that Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez had praised the FBI for following through on a tip to locate the potential suspect.

A few hours later in a Sunday evening press conference, however, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said that person had been released, as there was ā€œno basisā€ to keep them in custody. Patel had made similar announcements about a ā€œperson of interestā€ during the early stages of the FBI’s investigation into Charlie Kirk’s murder, and was also forced to walk those back.