The FBI director's broken promises to his British counterpart

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During a confidential meeting in south London in May, the head of British security services sought the help of Kash Patel, director of the FBI. The issue at stake was the retention of a key agent in London, who was essential to the surveillance tools shared between the two countries as part of the Five Eyes network. Patel agreed to find the necessary funding, but the position had already been eliminated due to US budget cuts. The agent was repatriated to the United States, causing confusion on the British side.

This episode strained relations between the intelligence services of the two countries, within the Five Eyes partnership, which is based on trust and reliability. British officials, accustomed to strong personal ties with their American counterparts, were unsettled by Patel's approach, which they considered unpredictable. Several sources indicate that Patel's attitude, as well as the redeployment of FBI resources at the expense of counterterrorism and counterespionage missions, are fueling mistrust among longstanding partners.

Patel's methods, marked by the dismissal of agents linked to investigations into Donald Trump and an open willingness to target political opponents, have exacerbated these tensions. In Australia, his decision to suspend and then dismiss the local FBI representative after she took part in a protest in 2020 added to the tension.

These signs of political alignment within the FBI are causing lasting concern among US allies about the sustainability of transatlantic cooperation, and several media outlets have reported that some European agencies are now reluctant to share certain information with the Americans. The New York Times

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