What Happened
Agents from the FBI’s elite evidence response team faced significant delays in reaching the scene of a mass shooting at Brown University in December. According to reports from three sources and a whistleblower’s account provided to Congress, the delay was attributed to the unavailability of an FBI plane to transport the team to Rhode Island.
FBI Director Kash Patel was in South Florida at the time, utilizing one of the FBI’s two jets, while the other was reserved for a different team. Consequently, the evidence response team had to drive through a snowstorm overnight to arrive at the university by 9 a.m. the following day.
Why It Matters
Senator Richard Durbin, D-Ill., who obtained the whistleblower’s account, criticized Patel’s management of FBI resources in a letter to the Government Accountability Office and the Justice Department’s inspector general. Durbin accused Patel of compromising the FBI’s critical investigations due to his misallocation of resources, particularly during the urgent response needed for the Brown University shooting on December 13, 2025.
What’s Next
The incident raises concerns about the operational efficiency of the FBI and its leadership under Director Patel. As the investigation into the shooting continues, scrutiny over the management of FBI resources may lead to further inquiries and potential reforms within the agency to ensure timely responses to critical incidents in the future.
