Kash Patel, the newly appointed director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), called on US Congress to investigate how aid money sent to Ukraine has been used, The Epoch Times reported on March 2.
"I've asked Congress to investigate where this money has gone. The American people are owed that answer because it’s our money. It’s our taxpayer dollars," Patel said.
Opinion polls show that Americans significantly overestimate the proportion of the U.S. federal budget that is spent on foreign aid, believing it to be around 25 percent when in fact it was only around 1 percent in 2023, amounting to just 0.25% of GDP.
He also criticized the scale of U.S. aid to Ukraine.
"The issue is not about the U.S. sending a billion dollars, but rather that the amount sent to one country is one hundred times that billion."
Patel then questioned President Volodymr Zelensky’s credibility, and referenced a missile incident in Poland.
“Zelensky went on the world stage and said ‘Russia fired a rocket into Poland,' which would be an act of war. It turned out that Russia fired no such rocket,” Patel claimed.
Poland has scrambled jets amid Russian attacks on Ukraine several times over the past year, as missiles sent to western Ukraine have violated Polish airspace.
He concluded with further skeptical statements and additional calls to investigate Ukrainian funds.
"We just can’t have full faith and trust in giving a leader $100 billion and then having him say, 'I’m not telling you where the money went.'” Patel concluded.
Numerous U.S. government organizations have been keeping up with oversight and transparency measures of aid to Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion.
Aside from military aid, U.S. funds have been vital in supporting numerous Ukrainian programs and initiatives.
Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, the U.S. Agency for International Development's (USAID) has provided Ukraine with $2.6 billion in humanitarian aid, $5 billion in development assistance, and more than $30 billion in direct budget support, helping to rebuild schools after Russian attacks, pay for bomb shelters, advanced medical equipment for hospitals and much more.
USAID's efforts have also included supporting judicial reforms and anti-corruption initiatives, and promoting transparency and accountability in governance.
On Feb. 26 however, the Trump administration announced that it would be terminating over 90% of USAID foreign aid contracts, cutting $60 billion in foreign assistance.
Patel previously served as a federal prosecutor, and he held various intelligence positions in Trump’s first administration. He has been considered a Trump loyalist, and his views align with the current administration’s escalating criticisms of Zelensky’s government, including Trump’s recent false claims that the U.S. has sent $350 billion in assistance to Ukraine.
Patel also received $25,000 in 2024 from a film company run by pro-Kremlin filmmaker Igor Lopatonok, the Washington Post (WP) reported on Feb. 7.
The payment came after Patel participated in a documentary about Trump that aired on TCN, the online network of right-wing commentator Tucker Carlson.
Martin Fornusek
(Updated: )
