Kash Patel Will Make Rare Russia Trip: Report

FBI Director Kash Patel is lining up a rare and politically fraught visit to Russia this fall, a US official and another person briefed on the plans tell Politico. The mid-October trip would take Patel to Moscow and St. Petersburg, likely at the invitation of Russia's FSB security service, the successor to the KGB. Details are thin: it's unknown whether he'll see President Vladimir Putin or top Kremlin aides, or what exactly he plans to discuss. The FBI, Justice Department, and White House all declined to comment.

An FBI chief heading to one of Washington's chief rivals would be notable under any circumstances, but Patel's history adds extra charge. He rose to prominence as a House Intelligence Committee staffer during the Trump-era Russia investigations, later denouncing them as the "Russiagate hoax," and has since attracted controversy over high-profile foreign trips that have blurred the lines between personal and professional. His planned Russia visit comes as US-Russia relations remain strained over the war in Ukraine and election interference, and as lawmakers push for tougher sanctions. With US-Russia relations strained over Ukraine and new sanctions under discussion, Politico lays out why this trip is so sensitive—and why Congress is paying attention. Read the full piece.