The FBI has ended its partnership with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), according to Director Kash Patel, who accused the group of political bias and misuse of law enforcement ties.
“James Comey wrote ‘love letters’ to the ADL and embedded FBI agents with them — a group that ran disgraceful ops spying on Americans,” Patel wrote on X. “That era is OVER. This FBI won’t partner with political fronts masquerading as watchdogs.”
The decision marks a sharp break from 2017, when then-FBI Director James Comey praised the ADL at its Washington, D.C. leadership summit. “Three years later I can say, from the perspective of the FBI, we’re still in love with you,” Comey said at the time, calling the ADL a vital partner for “building bridges in the communities we serve.”
“For more than 100 years, you have advocated for fairness and equality,” Comey told the group. “And for all of that, we are grateful. As a law enforcement and national security agency, yes. But also as Americans. As humans.”
Rising Backlash
The ADL has increasingly come under fire from conservatives, who accuse it of partisanship and hostility toward Christians. “The ADL hates Christians, therefore it is a hate group,” Elon Musk wrote on X last week.
The controversy deepened on September 28 when the ADL defended a post about “Christian Identity,” a fringe movement it called “a virulently antisemitic and loosely organized movement that has nothing to do with mainstream Christianity.” The group said critics had misrepresented its statement and insisted law enforcement, including the FBI, had tracked the movement for years due to its links to violence.
In response to Patel’s announcement, the ADL posted a graphic on X expressing “deep respect” for the FBI and reaffirming its mission to fight antisemitism and hate.
The Dallas Express reached out to the ADL for additional comment but did not receive a response as of publication.
Related Coverage
The FBI’s move comes just one day after the ADL announced it was retiring its controversial “Glossary of Extremism” following backlash for labeling Turning Point USA as extremist, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.