FBI Cuts Ties With ADL After Complaints Over Listing Kirk’s Group in ‘Glossary of Extremism’ By The Media Line Staff The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel announced that the bureau has concluded its decades-long partnership with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), halting cooperation with the prominent Jewish civil rights organization that has historically […]
Religious News
The Media Line: FBI Cuts Ties With ADL After Complaints Over Listing Kirk’s Group in ‘Glossary of Extremism’
Audio By Carbonatix
FBI Cuts Ties With ADL After Complaints Over Listing Kirk’s Group in ‘Glossary of Extremism’
By The Media Line Staff
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel announced that the bureau has concluded its decades-long partnership with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), halting cooperation with the prominent Jewish civil rights organization that has historically worked with law enforcement to counter antisemitism and extremism.
The break with the ADL follows weeks of right-wing criticism over its online “Glossary of Extremism,” which had included entries on the Christian Identity movement and Turning Point USA, the group founded by slain activist Charlie Kirk.
Following pushback from figures such as Elon Musk and Donald Trump Jr., the ADL stated that it removed “outdated” entries that had been “misrepresented and misused.” Musk accused the FBI of relying on ADL definitions to classify hate groups.
The decision was made public on Wednesday, just hours before the start of Yom Kippur. Patel did not explain the timing but said in a post on X that the FBI “won’t partner with political fronts masquerading as watchdogs.” He accused former FBI Director James Comey of having “embedded FBI agents” with the ADL, calling that era a thing of the past.
Patel’s statement referenced Comey, who was indicted last week after former President Donald Trump urged action against him. In 2014, Comey praised the ADL’s “leadership in tracking and exposing domestic and international terrorist threats,” describing his remarks as “a love letter” to the group. Three years later, he repeated that sentiment, saying, “We are still in love with you.”
In its response to Patel’s announcement, the ADL said it has “deep respect” for the FBI and for law enforcement officers more broadly. The group stressed its commitment to “protect the Jewish people” amid what it described as an unprecedented rise in antisemitism.
For decades, the ADL has partnered with local, state, and federal authorities, hosting training sessions and briefings on hate crimes and extremism. Patel’s move formally ends that cooperation, marking a sharp break from the bureau’s previous posture and leaving questions about how federal agents will now engage with organizations that track antisemitic threats.