Kash Patel disputes whistleblower revelation about FBI 'honeypot' agent spying on Trump campaign

FBI Director Kash Patel is disputing a bureau whistleblower who identified a female undercover FBI agent as a “honeypot” who infiltrated President Trump’s 2016 campaign.

Mr. Patel took to social media to dispute that the female agent was not a honeypot — an undercover operative who feigns sexual or romantic interest to obtain information from a target.

“Just like when I exposed grotesque violations and fraud leading the House Intelligence Committee’s investigation into Crossfire Hurricane calling out corrupt actors; I will equally defend those attacked falsely,” Mr. Patel said. “A female agent was falsely referenced in the media this week as part of an alleged whistleblower disclosure- she was NOT a honeypot.”

The whistleblower, who made the claims in a disclosure to Congress, identified a top agent in the New York field office as one of the FBI investigators assigned to infiltrate the Trump presidential campaign in 2015 as part of an off-the-books operation by then-Director James B. Comey.

The Washington Times reported on the whistleblower disclosure last week. The Times also reported that the FBI was investigating Mr. Comey’s off-the-books operation sending two honeypot agents into the Trump campaign.

Mr. Patel’s statement Friday on social media did not reference the allegations about a second honeypot agent.

Mr. Patel, who was confirmed as FBI director on Feb. 20, said he “reviewed the matter” and that the agent who wasn’t a honeypot “did the limited job assigned to her.”

He did not describe the “limited assigned job” nor who assigned the job to her.

The agent’s actions related to the Trump campaign were also reviewed by Special Counsel John Durham, who also found no evidence of wrongdoing by her, he said.

“I will always be the first to push for accountability from within, my track record has established that, but we do [not] establish guilt by association in this FBI,” Mr. Patel said.

Mr. Comey’s off-the-books investigation of the Trump campaign in 2015 was revealed by an agency whistleblower in a protected disclosure to the House Judiciary Committee last year and first reported by The Times in October.

A new whistleblower disclosure given to the Senate Judiciary Committee last week said the female agent from the FBI’s New York office was involved in the attempt to have undercover agents target the Trump team.

The Times reviewed the documents.

The FBI asked for the agent’s identity to be shielded because disclosing her name could compromise “the safety of the agent.”

According to the disclosures, the female agent was the handler of one or more FBI undercover agents who targeted Mr. Trump and his team. She also participated as one of the undercover agents.