'When they fail, Americans die': Trump source blasts FBI, urges swift confirmation of Kash Patel as director
President-elect Donald Trump's allies are excoriating the FBI for its initial characterization of the brutal car attack in New Orleans as not terror-related, before the nation’s top federal law enforcement agency backtracked and launched a terrorism investigation allegedly connected to ISIS.
"The FBI has a no-fail mission. There is no room for error. When they fail, Americans die. It's a necessity that Kash Patel gets confirmed ASAP," a source close to Trump told Fox News Digital on Thursday morning.
Early Wednesday morning, chaos broke out on Bourbon Street in New Orleans as New Year’s Eve revelers partied on the streets. The suspect, later identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, is accused of ramming a truck into the crowds on the beloved and famed party street, killing at least 15 and injuring dozens of others. Jabbar, who was armed with a Glock and a .308 rifle, was killed after opening fire on police.
As details filtered to the public on Wednesday morning, law enforcement officials, including the FBI, held a press conference where a special agent initially told the public that the attack was not related to terrorism.
"We'll be taking over the investigative lead for this event. This is not a terrorist event," said New Orleans field office FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Alethea Duncan during the press conference.
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The mayor of New Orleans contradicted Duncan in the same press conference, declaring that the attack was connected to terrorism.
"Know that the city of New Orleans was impacted by a terrorist attack. It's all still under investigation. You'll hear more after me," Mayor LaToya Cantrell, a Democrat who has served in the role since 2018, said at the presser.
The FBI released statements later Wednesday outlining that the attack was now under investigation as an act of terror, including reporting that an ISIS flag was found on the truck that rammed into the crowds.
"An ISIS flag was located in the vehicle, and the FBI is working to determine the subject's potential associations and affiliations with terrorist organizations," one FBI statement said.
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"The FBI is the lead investigative agency, and we are working with our partners to investigate this as an act of terrorism. We are aggressively running down all leads to identify any possible associates of the subject," the statement added.
Conservative lawmakers decried the attack and mourned for the victims, while also directing their ire at the FBI for its alleged failures in handling the attack. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, a key Senate ally of Trump’s pick to lead the FBI, Kash Patel, slammed the FBI in a series of messages posted to X and again rallied support for Patel’s confirmation to serve as FBI director.
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"The tragic terror attack that killed innocent people in New Orleans is a stark reminder of the importance of strong leadership. America needs a fearless fighter like @Kash_Patel at the FBI," Blackburn posted on Wednesday.
Blackburn also took issue with the FBI for allegedly reporting to the suspect’s home in Texas after the media had already staked out the property.
"The FBI didn’t show up to the NOLA suspect’s address until 1pm today. We were on scene before. No one came out of the home or answered the door," New York Post reporter Jennie Taer posted to X on Wednesday.
Blackburn responded to the Post reporter, saying that the FBI had "failed" its mission as the nation’s top law enforcement agency.
"The fact that a reporter has better intel than the FBI tells us all we need to know. The FBI has failed its core mission," Blackburn posted.
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When approached for comment on the criticisms, the FBI directed Fox Digital to its three previous statements on the attack that described it as an act of terror but did not comment on the New Orleans’ agent saying Wednesday that the attack was not connected to terrorism.
"This morning, an individual drove a car into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing a number of people and injuring dozens of others. The subject then engaged with local law enforcement and is now deceased. The FBI is the lead investigative agency, and we are working with our partners to investigate this as an act of terrorism," the FBI said in one of its three statements provided to Fox Digital.
Jabbar was identified as a 42-year-old U.S. citizen from Texas. He was an Army veteran who served as a human resource specialist and information technology specialist from March 2007 until Jan. 2015, and he deployed to Afghanistan from Feb. 2009 to Jan. 2010.
Trump slammed President Biden and his administration’s policies for the attack.
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"With the Biden ‘Open Border’s Policy’ I said, many times during Rallies, and elsewhere, that Radical Islamic Terrorism, and other forms of violent crime, will become so bad in America that it will become hard to even imagine or believe. That time has come, only worse than ever imagined. Joe Biden is the WORST PRESIDENT IN THE HISTORY OF AMERICA, A COMPLETE AND TOTAL DISASTER," Trump posted to Truth Social.
Biden mourned the attack on Wednesday, highlighting that despite the violence, "our New Orleans will never, never, never be defeated."
"New Orleans is a place unlike any other place in the world," the president said. "It's a city full of charm and joy. So many people around the world love New Orleans because of its history, its culture, and above all, its people."
"So I know while this person committed a terrible assault on the city, the spirit of our New Orleans will never, never, never be defeated," he added.