Kash Patel didn’t hold back. The FBI chief blasted ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith for floating the wild idea that President Trump orchestrated the arrests of NBA stars and coaches caught up in a sports betting scandal.
“I’m the FBI director. I decide which arrest to conduct and which not to conduct,” Patel told Fox News host Laura Ingraham on “The Ingraham Angle” Thursday.
“That may be the single dumbest thing I’ve ever heard out of anyone in modern history. And I live most of my time in Washington, DC,” he railed against Smith’s suggestion.
FBI Director Kash Patel went off on ESPN host Stephen A. Smith after he floated the wild idea that President Trump was behind the arrests of NBA players and coaches in an illegal betting bust. Fox News
“It’s right up there with Adam Schiff. We arrest people for crimes,” he added.
Patel announced the arrests of more than 30 NBA stars and Mafia members in a jaw-dropping crackdown on two separate illegal gambling rings Thursday morning.
On First Take, Smith warned viewers that the Trump administration was just getting started — and more crackdowns were on the way.
“Tell me when we’ve seen that … We’ve seen accusations before. We’ve seen athletes get in trouble with the law before. You don’t see the director of the FBI having a press conference. It’s not coincidental. It’s not an accident. It’s a statement, and it’s a warning that more is coming,” Smith said on air Thursday.
“This is just the tip of the iceberg,” Smith said without providing any proof. “It’s very concerning. We don’t know where this is gonna go. But everybody better brace themselves, because he’s coming,” the provocative host said in reference to Trump.
Shortly after the arrests, Smith told First Take viewers to brace for more crackdowns coming under the Trump administration. ESPN
He pointed to talk of sending ICE agents to Bad Bunny’s upcoming Super Bowl halftime show — and even hinted that the WNBA could be next on the administration’s radar.
Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, and former NBA player Damon Jones are among those charged in the stunning, record-breaking bust.
Thirty-one people — including members of the Bonanno, Gambino, Genovese, and Lucchese crime families, along with coaches and players from the Hornets, Trail Blazers, Lakers, and Raptors — have been arrested in a multimillion-dollar betting scheme, officials said.
According to the FBI, the gambling operation raked in more than $7 million over just two years.
