Wallace calls Patel's testimony "unbelievable," evidence of institutional decline
Nicolle WallaceHost, "Deadline: White House," MSNBC
MSNBC's Nicolle Wallace called Kash Patel's Senate testimony on the FBI hiring-standards change "unbelievable," saying it showed "just how far the FBI has fallen" under his leadership.
“unbelievable... just how far the FBI has fallen under the direction and leadership”
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Kash Patel defends FBI’s removal of automatic hiring disqualifiers for bestiality, prostitution, and employee theft
The FBI changed its hiring standards in 2026 to remove automatic disqualification of job applicants over past prostitution, employee theft, or bestiality/animal-cruelty history, first reported by CBS News on August 28, 2026. At a September 15, 2026 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, FBI Director Kash Patel defended the change as intended to protect trafficking and abuse victims from disqualification, saying "we did not want to punish victims of bestiality, victims who were trafficked." Sen. Dick Durbin disputed that framing, saying the rule as written removes disqualification for "applicants who have engaged" in the conduct, not specifically victims. Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe publicly called Patel’s rationale "not entirely believable."
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
MS NOW report on Nicolle Wallace's on-air reaction, on "Deadline: White House," to Kash Patel's September 15, 2026 Senate testimony on the FBI hiring-standards change.
Before the quotation
Reacting on-air to Patel's exchange with Sen. John Kennedy about the bestiality-hiring disqualifier.
After the quotation
Wallace's segment aired the day after the hearing itself.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Wallace directly condemns Patel's testimony as 'unbelievable' and cites it as evidence of institutional decline under his leadership, a clear condemnation.
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- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Kash Patel
More from this case
Read the full caseFBI National Press Office: applicants who engaged in criminal sexual acts remain ineligible
Federal Bureau of Investigation
“We are not 'relaxing hiring standards' - that is totally false... any applicant who has engaged in criminal sexual acts like those referenced would of course not be eligible for employment, and it is ridiculous to suggest otherwise.”Read statement
Maureen Steele accepts the trafficking-victim rationale but says the FBI wrote it too broadly: "Victims deserve mercy. Federal power demands character."
“Victims deserve mercy. Federal power demands character.”Read statement
Josh Johnson mocks Patel's hearing answers: "these are the standards you're lowering?"
“You know things have gone off the rails when someone has to ask, what about the bestiality? … We are witnessing history here. This may be the first time ever someone's response to "what's up with the bestiality" is "thank you for bringing that up." … Like, these are the standards you're lowering? Maybe the new standard should be only needs to do 20 push-ups and not can't go to a petting zoo wearing gym shorts.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Wallace calls Patel's testimony "unbelievable," evidence of institutional decline". First published: 2026-09-17. Last updated: 2026-09-17. https://disputeindex.com/events/866-msnbc-s-nicolle-wallace-called-kash-patel-s