Former Intelligence Official Kash patel’s Push for โคDocument Disclosure sparks Controversy
WASHINGTON – โKash Patel, a former national security aide to Congressman Devin โคNunes, ignited โa firestorm of controversy during his tenureโ wiht the House Intelligenceโค Committee โฃthrough aggressiveโ efforts toโข compel theโค release of classified documents related to the โorigins of the investigationโ into Russian interference in the 2016 presidentialโ election. Patel โคbelieved his actions “would change my life-and change America-forever.”
joining the โHouseโข committee staff in โฃ2017, Patel promptly advocated for subpoenas targeting the F.B.I., the C.I.A., and โขthe N.S.A.His aim was to uncover evidence โsuggesting the โขObama Administration attempted to “unmask” the identities โคof โTrump campaign officialsโค incidentallyโค collected โin intelligence intercepts.
Months later, Patelโ and another Republican staffer traveled to London, โvisiting the law office representing Christopher Steele, the author of a now-discredited dossier alleging connections between Donald โTrump โand Russian President Vladimir Putin. Patel stated in his bookโข that โthe visit โฃwas โขunplanned, occurring while they โคwere in London on an unrelated โmatter. โฃhe claimed โthey “left immediately after we were โtold that heโฃ was unavailable,” and “then โคenjoyed a full English breakfast,got on the plane,andโ headed home,” without informingโ the American Embassy or Democratic members of the Intelligence โขCommittee about the meeting.
That summer, Patel โaccompanied Nunes on aโฃ congressional trip to Vicenza, Italy, ostensibly “to improve our intelligence community.” During nightly meetings over Negronis, which Nunesโ termedโค “the final,”โ Patel urged โNunes โฃto subpoena records from Fusion GPS,โค the firm that hired Steele. Patel asserted that these records would reveal the funding source for the Steele dossier, stating, “If I was wrong,” โฃNunes “could fire me right onโฃ the spot.” Patel had already learned the F.B.I. had used the Steele dossier to obtain a wiretap on Carter Page.
