Trump's pick for FBI chief took money from Russian propagandist, WP reports
Kash Patel, U.S. President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), received $25,000 in 2024 from a film company run by pro-Kremlin filmmaker Igor Lopatonok, the Washington Post (WP) reported on Feb. 7.
A number of Trump's nominees and allies have faced scrutiny for their apparent support of Russia amid the full-scale war against Ukraine.
Patel received the $25,000 payment from Global Tree Pictures, Lopatonok's Los Angeles-based company, according to financial disclosures submitted as part of his nomination process and seen by the WP.
The payment came after Patel participated in a documentary about Trump that aired on TCN, the online network of right-wing commentator Tucker Carlson.
Lopatonok holds U.S-Russian dual citizenship and has produced numerous projects advancing pro-Kremlin narratives. Though born in Ukraine, Lopatonok has made films criticizing the EuroMaidan Revolution and appeared on a red carpet alongside pro-Russian oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk.
Medvedchuk, a close friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was detained by Ukrainian authorities on charges of treason in 2022 and later exchanged in a prisoner swap with Russia.
Lopatonok has also claimed Russian state media directors and Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko as his supporters, the WP reports.
In 2023, Lopatonok helmed a project titled "To Russia With Love" that aimed to circulate pro-Russian videos online. The influence campaign reportedly received $31,000 in funds from a foundation established by Putin.
Patel partnered with Lopatonok on a documentary series called "All the President's Men," which portrayed Patel and other figures from Trump's first term as victims of a conspiracy aimed at undermining the president.
The series was broadcast on the online network of Tucker Carlson, who also frequently spouts Kremlin propaganda narratives and infamously interviewed Putin in Moscow last year.
In the documentary, Patel says that Russia is not among the "true enemies" of the U.S. He also promises to "shut down the FBI headquarters building and open it up as a museum to the deep state."
Patel is a Trump loyalist who, if confirmed as FBI director, would hold one of the top positions in the administration. In an interview with the Kyiv Independent in November 2024, U.S. national security expert Evelyn Farkas described Patel as one of Trump's "yes men."
"Kash Patel, for example, is a guy who also seems to have no principles, only wants power and has a sense of grievance like Trump, so he's willing to do whatever it takes to make Trump happy," she said.
Sonya Bandouil
