Kash Patel is defending a new rule change that no longer disqualifies potential FBI candidates who engaged in bestiality from becoming agents.
“What we did was, we did not want to punish victims of bestiality, victims who were trafficked,” Patel, 46, claimed while testifying on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, September 15, confirming candidates who have previously engaged in bestiality are no longer automatically disqualified.
“We did not want to make it an automatic disqualification for the FBI to consider you if you are a victim of these awful, heinous acts,” he went on to allege under oath. “They still have to go to the same rigorous standards and application process.”
The FBI director continued, “At this FBI, we are not going to criminalize and prevent victims from serving the United States of America and the premier law enforcement agency in the world. They did that before. I eliminated the bureaucracy that prevented these great Americans from serving, or at least being considered from serving.”
Republican Sen. John Kennedy questioned Patel’s decision making process after the former podcast host changed the rule following his appointment and subsequent confirmation.
“I’m trying to understand why you did this,” the Louisiana politician, 74, said to Patel. “We’re having a tough time attracting agents, good quality agents we all can trust … Why would you even get into bestiality?”
Patel explained that he was advised to make the change after learning about “cases” where alleged qualified FBI applicants were denied consideration because they had allegedly been forced into bestiality due to human trafficking.
“I say this with respect. The person who recommended it, why didn’t you just say, ‘What planet did you parachute in from?’” Kennedy quipped.
Patel claimed that was his initial thought at first, but he ended up changing his mind.
“That was my initial response, senator,” he responded. “But they then explained to me and showed me cases in which people were forced into it and had applied to the FBI, and so I thought they should be considered. It’s not an automatic disqualification.”
Earlier this year, the FBI quietly lowered many of its standards used for background checks on prospective federal agents and other personnel. CBS News reported in June that some of the standards that would no longer disqualify a person were hiring sex workers, stealing from an employer and engaging in acts of bestiality or animal cruelty. (Bestiality is the sexual activity or contact between a human being and a non-human animal.)
A FBI spokesperson confirmed to the outlet that some limited changes were made to the organization’s eligibility requirements.
“Any polygraph changes reflect a clear difference between a disqualified applicant who has engaged in criminal behavior, versus an applicant who may be subject to further evaluation based on rare exigent circumstances,” the spokesperson said at the time.
