Rioters who were granted clemency by President Trump upon his return to the White House are now directing their anger towards FBI administrator Kash Patel for supposedly endorsing their adversary.
Patel, known for his public criticisms of the FBI, was expected by loyal MAGA supporters to reform the agency from the inside when Trump appointed him as the new chief.
However, they now feel let down and forsaken after reports from The New York Times disclosed that he had selected long-time agency member Steven Jensen as the deputy director overseeing the department.
Jenson described January 6 participants as ‘terrorists’ and was integral to the department’s ability to arrest and prosecute so many of them following the storming of the Capitol.Â
Initially, supporters tried to play off the report as ‘fake news’, but the appointment became undeniable when Patel himself shared an X post addressing the rumor.
Richard Barnett, who was sentenced to 54 months in prison for his involvement before Trump pardoned him, lashed out at the decision on X. Â
‘The anger and depression is hitting hard today,’ he wrote.
He went on to accuse both Patel and his Deputy Director Dan Bongino of ‘stabbing us in the back.’
Patel was an outspoken critic of the FBI and the MAGA faithful hoped he would ‘clean up’ the department from within when Trump sensationally appointed him as the new department chief
Rioters who were pardoned by President Trump when he returned to the White House have turned on FBI boss Kash Patel after he ‘promoted their tormenter’
He said they ‘actually promoted one of our tormenters, Steve Jensen, into a position of great power within the FBI.’
Another said Patel and Bongino ‘owe The People an explanation about the promotion of Steven Jensen – who obviously hates Trump voters – to one of the most powerful FBI positions in America.’
Philip Anderson, who describes himself as a ‘January 6 survivor’, was equally critical.
‘Dan Bongino and Kash Patel betrayed us all,’ he wrote. ‘They promoted Steven Jensen who viciously persecuted J6ers.Â
‘It has never been more clear that Pam Bondi, Dan, and Kash have no intention whatsoever of arresting the democrat criminals.’
Derrick Evans, who said he was held as a ‘political prisoner’ after the riots, added: ‘Seriously Kash? Why the f**k does this guy have a job, let alone a promotion?’
According to a former FBI supervisory intelligence analyst who testified at the House Weaponization Committee, Jenson was hellbent on catching and imprisoning anyone involved in the January 6 riots.
Jenson reportedly said: ‘I don’t give a blank, they’re goddamn terrorists, and we’re gonna round them all up.’Â
Jenson (pictured) described January 6 participants as ‘terrorists’ and was integral to the department’s ability to arrest and prosecute so many of them following the storming of the Capitol
Former Patel supporters are feeling betrayed and abandoned after it was revealed he’d appointed agency veteran Steven Jensen his assistant director in charge of the office
The rioters describe themselves as January 6 survivors and political prisoners, and largely blame Jenson for their arrests
Patel was a controversial pick to run the FBI due to eyebrow-raising remarks he’d made over the years, vowing to dismantle and gut the agency which he viewed as corrupt.
He had referred to law enforcement officials who investigated Trump as ‘criminal gangsters,’ saying some Jan. 6 rioters were ‘political prisoners’ and pledged to ‘come after’ anti-Trump ‘conspirators’ in the government and media.
He proposed shutting down the FBI headquarters in Washington and turning it into a museum for the so-called deep state.Â
At his Senate hearing in January, Patel said Democrats were taking some of his comments out of context or misunderstanding the broader point that he was trying to make.
‘The American people deserve an FBI that is transparent, accountable, and committed to justice. The politicalization of our justice system has eroded public trust — but that ends today,’ he said after his appointment.
He said his mission as director was to ‘let good cops be cops — and rebuild trust in the FBI.’Â
