Democrats hope new whistleblower allegations against Kash Patel will give them political ammo to fight one of President Trump’s key nominees.

The letter obtained by Democrat Sen. Dick Durbin accuses Patel, who’s been tapped to lead the FBI, of leaking news about the transfer of two American hostages and the remains of a third who had been held by Houthi rebels. According to the whistleblower, Patel broke protocol when he allegedly leaked information about the transfer that was to happen between Yemen and the U.S. before they were released into U.S. custody, potentially jeopardizing the deal, Fox News reported.

The transfer of the hostages back to the U.S. went through in October 2020 without any issues in exchange for the release of 200 Houthi fighters being held in Saudi Arabia, Fox reported.

Patel has been fiercely critical of the FBI and is seen as a threat by many D.C. insiders. His confirmation hearing is set for Thursday, just two days after this new allegation, and is expected to be contentious.

Meanwhile, several former intel officials and Trump allies are pushing back on the whistleblower claim including former National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien who argued the allegation endangers the bipartisan work needed within the agency.

“He or she probably will not be fired but will for sure get a tongue lashing from the COS for embarrassing the principal!” Roberts said of the “staffer” who’s promoting the claims on behalf of the Democrats.

“Senator, your staffer should have called me to check out the “whistleblower’s” story before writing the letter for your signature. Hostage rescues are a bipartisan issue & by using a disgruntled FBI agent’s fake story in an effort to smear Mr. Patel, the committee staffer has put at risk the unity we have achieved across four administrations!

I feel very sorry for the @JudiciaryDems staffer who has no idea how the USG hostage recovery effort works & wrote a letter for @SenatorDurbin that demonstrates this ignorance to the world. He or she probably will not be fired but will for sure get a tongue lashing from the COS… https://t.co/PBUVi1Jscx

— Robert C. O’Brien (@robertcobrien) January 28, 2025

A Trump transition official also pushed back and lauded Patel’s “track record of success” in a statement to Fox News.

“Mr. Patel was a public defender, decorated prosecutor, and accomplished national security official that kept Americans safe,” the official told Fox. “He has a track record of success in every branch of government, from the courtroom to congressional hearing room to the situation room. There is no veracity to this anonymous source’s complaints about protocol.”

Alexander Gray, former Chief of Staff for the White House National Security Council under Trump’s previous administration also called the whistleblower allegation “simply absurd,” according to Fox.

Democrats on X received plenty of backlash for the last-minute move:

Why are Democrats so scared of Kash Patel? The more they panic, the more we know he’s the right person for the job.

— WhatDidYouSay (@NoFilterMeSorry) January 28, 2025

OH NOOOZ. Three days before Patel’s Senate hearing, the Senate suddenly imagined a reason to request “relevant documents” that may or may not blah blah blah-de-blah blah.

It’s another Clarence Thomas ambush. Another Kavanaugh ambush. Another Hegseth ambush.

It’s always the same…

— Law of Self Defense (@LawSelfDefense) January 28, 2025

The timing of this information comming out, WOW!

— DHoward (@DaveH1160) January 28, 2025

Kash Patel has been a key figure in national security and intelligence, with a solid track record. Senate Democrats are playing politics instead of letting qualified individuals serve.

— Kentucky Kernels Of Truth (@TrackDaddyKy) January 27, 2025

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