Right-wing media turns on Kash Patel

[marmar]

Right-wing media turns on Kash Patel over Nancy Guthrie case
The FBI director is also facing criticism over his handling of the Epstein files

By Sophia Tesfaye
Senior Writer
Published February 14, 2026 6:45AM (EST)


(Salon) Not long ago, Kash Patel was a hero to MAGA world. A Trump loyalist, former Fox News regular and podcaster fluent in grievance politics, Patel was supposed to be the man who would finally bend the FBI to the will of a movement that spent years insisting the bureau was hostile to conservatives. Less than a year after his appointment as director, the same right-wing media ecosystem that once elevated Patel is increasingly turning on him — mocking his missteps and, in some cases, openly calling him a liar.

Patel’s tenure has been marked by a pattern of premature announcements and theatrical incompetence. Under his leadership, the FBI has lost significant institutional expertise. About 3,063 FBI employees reportedly left the bureau in 2025, according to data from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Of those who remain, roughly 1,000 special agents and others are said to be focused on redacting materials related to the Epstein files. A leaked internal FBI document from December revealed agents describing the bureau under Patel as “dismal,” “all f****d up” and a “rudderless ship,” concluding the director is “in over his head.”

The FBI’s investigation into Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance isn’t helping Patel brighten MAGA’s dimming view of his leadership. The 84-year-old mother of “Today” show co-host Savannah Guthrie was reported missing on Feb. 1 after failing to show up at a friend’s house, where they had planned to livestream their church’s service. This week Patel went on Fox News’ “Hannity” to boast that the FBI was investigating “persons of interest” and that “substantial progress” had been made. Hours later, authorities detained delivery driver Carlos Palazuelos during a traffic stop in Tucson. He was questioned and released the same day without charges.

....(snip)....

But the lack of progress in the investigation is causing right-wing media apparatus to turn its gaze inward.

The conservative One America News Network aired a debunked report on Friday claiming the Pima County Sheriff’s Department had refused to cooperate with Patel’s FBI. Candace Owens, who called for Patel to “step down” after revelations that he was using his legal team to support lawsuits filed by his girlfriend, suggested the director was complicating the Guthrie investigation. “Goes without saying that there is something wrong with the Savannah Guthrie story,” Owens wrote on X. “The issue is it’s Arizona which is a political cartel. And Kash Patel is racing over there to play hero.” .................(more)

https://www.salon.com/2026/02/14/right-wing-media-turns-on-kash-patel-over-nancy-guthrie-case/