Congressman Jamie Raskin has alleged that FBI Director Kash Patel funneled more than $1 million in taxpayer-funded bonuses to a close circle of loyal agents, calling it a “personal slush fund.” If proven true, this may have violated federal law. This is not the first accusation against Patel, who has seen enough controversy in his tenure.
Kash Patel faces allegations over $1M bonus fund
FBI Director Kash Patel has been accused of directing more than $1m in taxpayer-funded bonus payments to a small circle of loyalist agents, allegedly as a part of a “personal slush fund.” (via The Guardian). If this is true, it is a violation of federal law.
Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland accused Patel of authorizing substantial recurring payments to agents in his inner circle and security detail. Reports state that some agents received as much as $8,000 every two weeks, besides their federal salary ceiling.
Though the exact amount paid to agents remains under doubt, the House judiciary minority committee has revealed that it can confirm a number of agents received at least five such payments in consecutive pay periods. This amounts to approximately $40,000 per person. The committee added that the pace of disbursements was so fast that it drained reserve accounts set aside for bonus payments. Some payments even bounced back because of this.
“Why are these agents receiving extra pay simply for doing their jobs?” Raskin wrote in a letter to the FBI director on June 15, 2026. “Are they, in fact, collecting bonus compensation for engaging in actions outside of their duties and outside of the law?” the letter added. “We write to find out precisely how much slush fund largess you have put on the American taxpayer’s tab.”
Kash Patel has been the subject of multiple controversies before, including reports of him drinking excessively during work.
The FBI has yet to comment on the accusation.
Originally reported by Sourav Chakraborty on Mandatory.
