A report published Tuesday by the Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) revealed that the FBI surveilled Kash Patel, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for FBI director, along with other individuals, including members of Congress and their staffers.

BREAKING: FBI reportedly spied on incoming director Kash Patel, according to a new report from a government watchdog. pic.twitter.com/Gz28WfTVYH

— Leading Report (@LeadingReport) December 13, 2024

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The findings have raised questions about the FBI’s handling of sensitive investigations and its use of surveillance tools.

The OIG report outlined how the DOJ obtained records through a “compulsory process,” targeting members of Congress, congressional staff, and members of the media between September 2017 and March 2018.

While the report did not name specific individuals, sources confirmed to both the New York Post and CNN that Patel was among those targeted.

At the time, Patel served as a staffer on the Republican-led House Intelligence Committee and was the lead investigator into the DOJ and FBI’s handling of Operation Crossfire Hurricane.

This operation relied on the discredited Steele Dossier to obtain a warrant for wiretapping Trump campaign advisor Carter Page.

Patel has since been a vocal critic of the FBI’s practices and leadership.

“There are no coincidences in government.”

Kash Patel joins John Solomon and Amanda Head calling new FBI regulations an “admission of guilt” after the department responded to allegations of spying on congressional staffers.

Watch LIVE➡️https://t.co/aeKhZCtVbe

Watch more… pic.twitter.com/jLjgpTssRg

— Real America’s Voice (RAV) (@RealAmVoice) November 14, 2023

Patel’s spokesperson declined to comment directly on the report but told the New York Post that the findings underscore Patel’s suitability for reforming and rebuilding the FBI.

Patel previously sued DOJ and FBI officials, including former FBI Director Christopher Wray, over a 2017 subpoena for data from his personal email account.

The OIG report also revealed that the FBI sought “non-content communications records” from members of both parties, including 21 Democratic staffers, 20 Republican staffers, two nonpartisan staffers, and two members of Congress.

The surveillance was reportedly tied to an investigation into leaks of classified information to the press.

“The decision to issue most of the compulsory process for their records was based on the close proximity in time between that access and the subsequent publication of the news articles,” the report stated.

Additionally, the DOJ sought records from journalists at CNN, The New York Times, and The Washington Post, who had published articles containing classified information in 2017.

In 2020, the DOJ attempted to identify the sources of these leaks by acquiring communications records from reporters.

While the OIG report found no evidence of political or retaliatory motivation in the investigations, it acknowledged that the surveillance created “the appearance of inappropriate interference by the executive branch.”

“Simply put, it’s retaliation. It’s retaliation because the D.C. swamp creatures, particularly at the FBI, have been caught red-handed,” says @RepKatCammack of partisan DOJ spying on Kash Patel, Members of Congress, and congressional staffers on last night’s @EveningEdit. pic.twitter.com/7NgfR2lzNJ

— Rep. Cammack Press Office (@RepKatCammack) December 13, 2024

The report also noted that such actions could undermine public trust in federal agencies.

The FBI and DOJ declined to comment on the findings but referred to the DOJ’s response included in the report. “The OIG found no indication in its review that the investigative steps of the career prosecutors in any of these cases were pursued for improper reasons or based on party affiliation or status,” the DOJ stated.

The revelations come amid ongoing scrutiny of the FBI’s leadership and practices.

During the period covered by the report, Andrew McCabe served as acting FBI director before being dismissed in 2018 for alleged misconduct related to media leaks. McCabe later settled a lawsuit with the DOJ, regaining his pension.

Andrew McCabe, who abused his power to spy on Kash Patel, now claims Patel is unqualified to lead the FBI. Hypocrisy much? The same McCabe who lied, leaked, and trampled civil liberties is worried about accountability under Patel. The swamp is nervous. pic.twitter.com/Gc6qHCiLTt

— Erica Knight (@_EricaKnight) December 13, 2024

Patel, who has previously criticized the FBI as part of the “deep state,” has vowed to enact significant reforms if confirmed as FBI director. He once stated he would “shut down the Hoover FBI Building on day one and reopen it as a Deep State Museum.”

Kash Patel: “I’d shut down the FBI Hoover Building on day one and reopen it the next day as a museum of the Deep State. Then, I’d take the 7,000 employees that work in that building and send them across America to chase down criminals. Go be cops. You’re cops—go be cops.”

“Every… pic.twitter.com/lBexXKSpBf

— Shawn Ryan (@ShawnRyan762) December 1, 2024

The OIG’s findings highlight a pattern of surveillance activity involving high-profile individuals and raise broader concerns about the balance between national security and the protection of constitutional oversight roles.

The issue has reignited calls for accountability and transparency within the FBI and DOJ.