Rep. Jamie Raskin, the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, launched an investigation Monday into allegations that FBI Director Kash Patel directed more than $1 million in bureau funds to a handpicked group of loyalist agents — some of whom, Raskin suggests, may have received payments partly to keep them quiet about the director’s personal conduct.
In a letter sent to Patel, Raskin said the House Judiciary minority had received information indicating Patel’s office issued substantial recurring bonus payments to agents on his “Director’s Advisory Team” and his personal security detail — agents he described as “loyalist MAGA henchmen who have engaged in misconduct.”
According to the committee, multiple agents received five consecutive $8,000 payments totalling nearly $40,000 per person — pushing some compensation past statutory federal pay limits. The reserve accounts used for the payments drained so quickly that some disbursements bounced.
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The Director’s Advisory Team had previously been reported on by NOTUS, Truthout, and The Nation under the informal name “the Payback Squad.” A senior FBI official denied to NOTUS that the team operates under that name but confirmed the Director’s Advisory Team exists — describing it as a special investigative unit tasked with examining alleged abuses of power from previous administrations.
NOTUS also reported the team is building criminal cases aimed at charging former officials with a “grand conspiracy” against Trump, with former CIA Director John Brennan reportedly among those expected to face indictment. Raskin demanded a full accounting of all bonus and award payments by June 29.
Raskin noted that agents who accompanied Patel on personal outings — to named venues spanning domestic bars and the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics — now received substantial financial rewards. He questioned whether those payments served to buy silence rather than reward professional performance, pointing to The Atlantic‘s reporting on Patel’s alleged excessive drinking and erratic behaviour on the job. Patel filed a $250 million defamation suit against the magazine; he has denied ever being intoxicated while working.
While bonuses flowed to loyalists, the bureau removed former Acting Director Brian Driscoll — a Medal of Valor recipient — and senior counterterrorism official Steven Jensen from their roles.
As a minority ranking member, Raskin has no authority to compel Patel to produce the requested documents — that power requires a committee majority, which Democrats could gain if they retake the House in November’s midterm elections.
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