FBI spokesperson Ben Williamson disputes that the bureau counted arrests improperly
Ben WilliamsonFBI spokesperson
Williamson disputes that arrests were counted improperly, calling the contentions false and the latest attempt to detract from what he calls the most prolific reduction in crime in U.S. history.
Responding to
The FBI's count of violent crime arrests under Kash Patel includes arrests made by state and local police and other federal agencies when an FBI employee was present, which the bureau did not count as its own before.
“The contentions here seeking to discredit law enforcement are false and just the latest attempt to detract from this FBI's and this administration's year of the most prolific reduction in crime in United States history.”
Reporting
Where this statement fits
MS NOW says the FBI's arrest count under Kash Patel includes arrests made by local police; the FBI says its counting has not changed
The FBI and Director Kash Patel say the bureau has made about 54,000 violent crime arrests since Patel took office in February 2025, up roughly 90 percent. An MS NOW analysis published on October 14, 2026 reports that the count includes arrests made by state and local police and other federal agencies when an FBI employee was present, and that the FBI referred 15 percent fewer criminal cases for federal prosecution than in the same period of the Biden administration. The FBI says it has always counted violent crime arrests where it has equity in the case and investigation. Former FBI officials quoted by MS NOW say the bureau did not count other agencies' arrests before.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
MS NOW report, citing a half dozen law enforcement sources, that the FBI began counting arrests of immigrants made by immigration officers when FBI agents accompanied them, after Patel cited rising arrest figures at a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing. It includes a statement from FBI spokesperson Ben Williamson disputing that arrests were counted improperly.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
MS NOW reports, citing a half dozen law enforcement sources, that the FBI began counting arrests of immigrants made by immigration officers when FBI agents accompanied them. Williamson disputes that arrests were counted improperly without giving specifics.
After the quotation
Williamson says the Most Wanted fugitives captured since January 2025 were on the run for a combined 60 years. He and the FBI decline a request for a breakdown of the data behind Patel's claims of rising arrests.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The case asks whether the FBI's arrest figures under Patel count arrests made by other agencies in a way the bureau did not before. Williamson calls the contentions false without giving specifics, so we used denies.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- MS NOW
More from this case
Read the full caseFormer FBI agent Michael Feinberg says Patel is taking credit for other agencies' efforts
“He's taking credit for other agencies' efforts”Read statement
Former senior FBI official Christopher O'Leary says Patel is dismantling decades of statistical integrity in FBI arrest counts
“Kash Patel is actively dismantling decades of statistical integrity just to feed a political narrative”Read statement
FBI says it has always counted violent crime arrests where it has equity in the case
Federal Bureau of Investigation
“violent crime arrests where the FBI has equity in the case and investigation”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "FBI spokesperson Ben Williamson disputes that the bureau counted arrests improperly". First published: 2026-10-22. Last updated: 2026-10-22. https://disputeindex.com/events/6503-williamson-disputes-that-arrests-were-counted-improperly-calling