# Patel Defends FBI Hiring Rule That No Longer Bars Bestiality Cases

- URL: https://twotakes.us/stories/patel-defends-fbi-hiring-rule-that-no-longer-bars-bestiality-cases
- Published: 2026-09-16T07:07:52.053722+00:00
- Topics: fbi, senate-hearing, kash-patel, law-enforcement-policy, government-oversight

## What the left says
- The hiring policy change deserves scrutiny alongside a broader pattern of concerning decisions under Patel, including firing counterintelligence agents monitoring Iran threats days before a U.S. strike and using government aircraft for personal travel.
- Patel's leadership raises alarms about politicization of the FBI, including an FBI social media account attacking senators during the hearing and refusing to commit to keeping agents away from polling places in the midterms.
- Questions about the bestiality policy reflect legitimate oversight into whether hiring standards are being loosened in ways that could compromise the quality and integrity of FBI agents.
- Patel's combative tone toward Democratic senators, including telling the committee chairman to end the hearing and dismissing a senator's questions as a 'charade of lies,' undermines the spirit of congressional oversight.

## What the right says
- Patel's explanation is a reasonable and compassionate policy update meant to avoid punishing trafficking victims who were forced into degrading acts, not an endorsement of bestiality.
- The hearing should be remembered for Patel's substantive achievements, including capturing all 10 of the FBI's most wanted fugitives and delivering the largest reduction in the murder rate in American history.
- Democrats' fixation on an awkward but narrow hiring-policy detail distracts from real successes like purging politically weaponized actors from the bureau and boosting arrests of violent criminals.
- Patel's pushback against senators reflects justified frustration with what he and Republican allies view as politically motivated attacks rather than genuine oversight.

## Common ground
- The FBI's hiring policy no longer automatically disqualifies applicants for past involvement in bestiality, a change Patel says was intended to avoid penalizing trafficking victims.
- Patel confirmed during the hearing that the FBI has captured all 10 fugitives on its Most Wanted list during his tenure.
- The hearing lasted nearly five hours and covered a wide range of contentious topics beyond the hiring policy, including Iran-related firings, election security, and Patel's personal travel.
- Senators from both parties, including Republican John Kennedy, pressed Patel directly and skeptically about the specifics of the bestiality policy change.

## Sources
- [CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/fbi-director-kash-patel-testify-senate-panel/) (Lean Left)
- [CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/video/key-moments-from-kash-patels-senate-hearing/) (Lean Left)
- [Fox News](https://www.foxnews.com/politics/kash-patel-reveals-fbi-capture-all-10-members-most-wanted-fugitive-list-during-hearing) (Right)
- [NBC News](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/kash-patel-defends-new-fbi-policy-bestiality-senate-hearing-rcna598017) (Lean Left)
- [NBC News](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/fbi-director-kash-patel-clashes-democrats-oversight-hearing-rcna597915) (Lean Left)
- [Newsmax](https://www.newsmax.com/politics/kash-patel-crime-fbi/2026/09/15/id/1269499) (Right)
- [PBS NewsHour](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-blumenthal-grills-fbi-director-kash-patel-on-firing-iran-specialists-days-before-u-s-launched-war) (Lean Left)
- [PBS NewsHour](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-patel-grilled-on-whether-hell-send-agents-to-the-polls-in-november) (Lean Left)
- [PBS NewsHour](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-patel-explains-why-fbi-no-longer-considers-bestiality-an-automatic-hiring-disqualifier) (Lean Left)
- [The Daily Signal](https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/09/15/patel-fbi-purged-political-weaponization/) (Right)
- [The Guardian US](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/video/2026/sep/15/kash-patel-fbi-bestiality) (Left)
- [The Hill](https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/6091335-fbi-kash-patel-senate-judiciary-takeaways/) (Center)
- [The Hill](https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/6090295-kennedy-grills-patel-fbi-policy-bestiality/) (Center)
- [The Hill](https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/6089806-kash-patel-travel-vehicle-controversies-senate-hearing/) (Center)
- [The Hill](https://thehill.com/video-clips/6089723-watch-live-kash-patel-senate-hearing-fbi-oversight/) (Center)
- [Washington Times](https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/sep/15/patel-fbi-needs-lot-money-fight-ai-crime-flock-cameras-help-rescue/) (Right)

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