Published by TrenBuzz.com | June 21, 2026 | BREAKING
Key Points at a Glance – Jamie Raskin Unleashes on Kash Patel and Gabbard
- Rep. Jamie Raskin launched an investigation on June 16 into a scheme inside Kash Patel’s FBI to illegally direct over $1 million in taxpayer-funded bonuses to a small group of agents willing to pursue political targets.
- Raskin called the group Patel’s “Payback Squad” and alleged agents received five consecutive $8,000 payments, nearly $40,000 per person.
- Raskin blasted Pulte’s FISA appointment as making it “even more obvious that he intends to use FISA to investigate, harass and persecute his political opponents.”
- Raskin said it would be “moronic” to hand Kash Patel and Tulsi Gabbard FISA warrantless surveillance powers over Americans.
- Raskin demanded answers by June 29, including a full accounting of all bonus payments, amounts, and who authorized them.
- Raskin confirmed FBI reserve accounts for bonus payments were depleted so fast that some payments actually bounced back from exhausted accounts.
For months, Rep. Jamie Raskin has been the loudest Democratic voice against what he calls the most politically weaponized FBI in American history. On June 16, he stopped just warning about it and launched a formal investigation.
Raskin sent Patel a letter demanding more information about $8,000 payments made to agents who execute Patel’s “unlawful partisan and personal orders,” writing that Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee had been informed that Patel signed off on more than $1 million in awards.
“The FBI Budget Is Not a Slush Fund”
“The FBI’s budget is not a slush fund to reward craven loyalty and ensure that your abuses of power and indiscretions remain hidden,” Raskin wrote in his letter to Patel.
The agents receiving the bonuses include those Raskin calls the “Director’s Advisory Team” and Patel’s personal security detail. Their alleged loyalty came with a price: access to Patel’s nights out at the Poodle Room, Ned’s, Rao’s, the Strip, and the Milano Cortina Olympics.
The FISA Fight and Why Raskin Voted No
During Wednesday night’s debate over the FISA bill, Raskin noted: “Believe it or not, the administration’s invitation to trust Kash Patel and Tulsi Gabbard, which a majority of this body was not interested in, has now gotten even less enticing.”
He called Pulte “famous for creating personal mortgage dossiers on Trump’s enemies,” and said handing surveillance authority to the Trump administration without reforms would be reckless.
Democrats lack the House majority to subpoena the FBI independently. But if they flip the chamber in November, that changes instantly, giving Raskin’s June 16 investigation real teeth by January 2027.
🔗 [Also Read: “Senate Democrats Block Surveillance Bills, Letting FISA Expire” | TrenBuzz.com]
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Disclaimer: This article is for general informational and news reporting purposes only. All quotes, investigation details, and hearing footage are sourced from The Daily Beast, The Washington Times, The Hill, and the official House Judiciary Committee Democrats press release as of June 16-21, 2026. Kash Patel has not been charged with any crime. TrenBuzz.com does not provide legal advice. Readers are encouraged to follow credible news and official Congressional sources for real-time updates.