FBI Director Kash Patel has taken a blowtorch to CNN, calling out the left-wing network for publishing what he says is a completely fabricated report about supposed personnel cuts at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). In a fiery memo to ATF personnel, Patel slammed CNN’s claims as “entirely false” and made it clear that media disinformation will never dictate his leadership of federal law enforcement.
The controversy began when CNN, citing anonymous sources—standard practice for leftist media when pushing an agenda—reported on March 22 that Patel was planning to move 1,000 ATF agents to the FBI, cutting ATF’s manpower by more than a third. The report went on to claim that Patel was being pressured by gun rights groups and had supposedly backed off the plan after media attention.
The problem? According to Patel, every single word of it was a lie.
In a memo obtained by Fox News Digital, Patel set the record straight. “I want to address a report from this weekend speculating about the intentions of FBI leadership with personnel decisions at the ATF,” he began.
“This weekend, CNN reported news of a plan on the part of our leadership to ‘cut as many as one third’ of ATF agents and reallocate 1,000 agents over to the FBI,” Patel wrote. “The report even suggested our leadership team altered course after reading a news report and ultimately backed off certain aspects of changes. This ‘report’ is entirely false.”
Not only did Patel refute CNN’s bogus claims, but he also made it crystal clear that corporate media disinformation will never dictate federal law enforcement policy under his watch.
“The fake news will NEVER be responsible for operational command authority over the ATF—we are,” Patel declared, taking direct aim at CNN’s attempt to manipulate the narrative.
And in a clear message to CNN and other leftist media outlets that think they can strong-arm him into submission, Patel added, “The brave men and women of the ATF who courageously dedicate themselves to protecting the American public will not have their security jeopardized by the media’s disinformation campaigns. When we make decisions, they will be final, regardless of the input of CNN or any other news organization.”
CNN’s false reporting is just another example of how the leftist media works overtime to undermine any law enforcement official who prioritizes public safety over political agendas.
Patel has been clear that his focus is on fighting real crime—not engaging in politically motivated witch hunts like those that became the FBI’s norm under the Biden administration. His leadership marks a return to law enforcement agencies actually doing their jobs instead of being weaponized against conservatives.
Of course, that’s precisely what terrifies CNN and its allies. They rely on a politicized ATF to push radical gun control policies, harass law-abiding gun owners, and enforce unconstitutional mandates. The idea of an ATF that is actually focused on crime rather than waging war on the Second Amendment is unacceptable to them—so they fabricate stories to discredit Patel and mislead the public.
But Patel isn’t playing their game. He’s standing firm, making it clear that the days of media-controlled law enforcement are over. And if CNN thinks they can twist the truth to slow him down, they’re in for a rude awakening.
