Kash Patel defends decision to remove bestiality as automatic disqualifier for FBI applicants

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FBI Director Kash Patel’s decision to remove bestiality as an automatic disqualifier for FBI job applicants drew bipartisan disbelief Tuesday after he said the change was intended to protect trafficking victims coerced into sexual acts with animals.

The FBI previously automatically disqualified people who acknowledged engaging in crimes including prostitution or bestiality, which is sexual activity between a human and an animal. Now applicants won’t automatically be disqualified for those acts.

Patel said in testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday that the new rules were put in place because “we did not want to punish victims of bestiality, victims who were trafficked.”

“We did not want to make it an automatic disqualification for the FBI to consider you if you are a victim of these awful heinous acts,” he said.

Senators across party lines immediately zeroed in on what Patel meant by “victims” of bestiality.

“Why would you even get into bestiality?” Republican Sen. John Kennedy asked Patel.

“We are not into bestiality,” Patel responded, before the senator cut him off.

“I know you’re not, but you changed the qualifications and mentioned bestiality,” Kennedy said, pushing for further explanation. Patel noted that some former trafficking victims had been disqualified for a job because they were forced into bestiality.

“But you’re not telling us today that if a human being had sex with an animal, that they can still be an FBI agent,” Kennedy asked.

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Outside of hiring practices, Patel was pressed on the ongoing investigations into the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Goods, the ousting of career FBI employees , and the bureau’s plans to patrol the upcoming midterm elections.

On some of those topics — like the Pretti and Good matters — Patel declined to share information because investigations were ongoing. As for the mass exodus of employees, Patel said that most retired and that those fired had “weaponized” the federal government.

In response to questions on the election , Patel said that the FBI was going to “house our agents and intel analysts in our field offices for election security,” but expressed some skepticism that the bureau is barred from sending agents to the polls.

“Do you pledge that you will not, in any way, interfere in the will of the American people when they go to the polls in November,” Democratic Sen. Peter Welch asked.

Patel said, “I pledge unequivocally that I will not participate in your charade of lies.”

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周二，联邦调查局局长卡什·帕特尔决定取消与人兽交作为联邦调查局求职者自动取消资格的条件，此举引发了两党人士的质疑。此前，帕特尔表示，这一改变旨在保护被迫与动物发生性行为的人口贩运受害者。

此前，联邦调查局会自动取消承认从事过包括卖淫或兽交（即人与动物之间的性行为）等犯罪活动的人员的资格。现在，申请人不会再因为这些行为而被自动取消资格。

帕特尔周二在参议院司法委员会作证时表示，制定新规的原因是“我们不想惩罚兽交受害者和人口贩运受害者”。

他说：“我们不想让联邦调查局自动取消你因成为这些可怕的、令人发指的罪行的受害者而被考虑的资格。”

不同党派的参议员们立即集中火力，讨论帕特尔所说的“兽交受害者”究竟是什么意思。

“你为什么要进行人兽交？”共和党参议员约翰·肯尼迪问帕特尔。

“我们不搞人兽交，”帕特尔回应道，话还没说完就被参议员打断了。

“我知道你不是，但你更改了资格要求，还提到了人兽交，”肯尼迪追问，要求进一步解释。帕特尔指出，一些人口贩卖的受害者因为被迫进行人兽交而被取消了工作资格。

“但你今天并没有告诉我们，如果一个人与动物发生性关系，他仍然可以成为联邦调查局特工，”肯尼迪问道。

卡什·帕特尔摧毁了追踪伊朗威胁的FBI团队

除了招聘做法之外，帕特尔还被追问了正在进行的对亚历克斯·普雷蒂和蕾妮·古兹死亡事件的调查、联邦调查局职业雇员的解雇以及该局在即将到来的中期选举中巡逻的计划。

对于某些议题——例如普雷蒂和古德事件——帕特尔拒绝透露信息，因为调查仍在进行中。至于员工的大规模离职，帕特尔表示，大多数人是退休了，而那些被解雇的人则“利用”了联邦政府。

针对有关选举的问题，帕特尔表示，联邦调查局将“在我们的外地办事处安置我们的特工和情报分析员，以确保选举安全”，但他对该局被禁止向投票站派遣特工表示怀疑。

“你是否承诺，在11月美国人民投票时，你绝不会以任何方式干涉他们的意愿？”民主党参议员彼得·韦尔奇问道。

帕特尔说：“我郑重承诺，我绝不会参与你们的谎言闹剧。”