Kash Patel
Role at the time: FBI director
Defended or excused
Statement summary
FBI Director Kash Patel defended the bureau's case-by-case use of Flock data, saying license-plate records helped identify a shooting suspect and locate kidnapped children.
“They collect information, not the FBI, where there is no reasonable expectation of privacy, basically publicly available information.”
Watch the original video (opens in a new tab)Senate Judiciary Committee FBI oversight hearing, September 15, 2026About 3:38:19, Cornyn and Patel exchange
Full hearing recording includes Cornyn's question about public criticism of license-plate readers and Patel's response defending case-by-case FBI use.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Why we used this label
Patel presents the network as a useful investigative tool and defends its use subject to lawful access.