“[Letter to Patel co-signed with Jim Himes:] As Director of the FBI, you possess information that would be highly valuable to America's adversaries. … Why is the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) visiting a hostile foreign power … In the interest of national security, we ask you to reconsider. Call off this trip. [Raskin separately warned that Patel] will be a target and sitting duck for every kind of Russian espionage and influence operation.
Back to stories
Democrats Urge Patel to Cancel FSB-Hosted Russia Trip
FBI Director Kash Patel Is Reportedly Headed to Moscow and St. Petersburg as a Guest of Putin's FSB — Jamie Raskin and Jim Himes Tell Him "In the Interest of National Security, We Ask You to Reconsider. Call Off This Trip," and Raskin Warns He Will Be "a Sitting Duck for Every Kind of Russian Espionage"
October 10, 2026
On Oct. 9, 2026, the top Democrats on the House Judiciary and Intelligence committees, Jamie Raskin and Jim Himes, released a letter urging FBI Director Kash Patel to cancel a reported two-day trip to Moscow and St. Petersburg — tentatively scheduled for Oct. 14 — on which he is expected to be hosted by Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), the successor to the KGB. Politico first reported in July that Patel planned a fall visit to Russia; The Atlantic reported that FBI employees who had quietly pushed leadership to drop the trip took their concerns to Congress when that failed. The letter warns that the FSB has a long history of surveillance, cyber-espionage and intelligence operations against American officials, asks why the FBI director would visit "a hostile foreign power" weeks before the midterms, and requests a closed-door briefing by Oct. 12 on who proposed the visit, its purpose, his itinerary and who is traveling with him. The FBI did not respond or confirm the travel plans. The trip surfaced the same day Trump announced a diesel deal with Vladimir Putin.
2
Statements Recorded
See what your representatives said?
2 Statements
“[Letter to Patel co-signed with Jamie Raskin, citing "urgent national security concerns":] Why is the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) visiting a hostile foreign power … In the interest of national security, we ask you to reconsider. Call off this trip. [If he insists on proceeding, the two] are requesting a closed-door briefing on the FBI's expanding cooperation with foreign adversaries.