FBI Director Kash Patel refused to answer a question about whether the Afghan suspect accused of shooting two National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., was granted asylum by the Trump administration.
Patel appeared at a Thanksgiving morning press conference alongside U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to provide updates on Wednesday’s shooting near the White House, which left two troops critically injured.
The suspect, identified as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, is in custody in connection with what authorities believe was a targeted attack. Lakanwal entered the U.S. in September 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome, a Biden administration initiative launched after the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan following the U.S. military withdrawal.
According to CNN, citing multiple law enforcement sources, the suspect applied for asylum in 2024 and was granted it in April under the current Trump administration. The suspect also worked with the CIA in Afghanistan before coming to the U.S., CIA Director John Ratcliffe told Fox News Digital.
On Thursday, Patel avoided answering whether the Trump administration approved Lakanwal’s asylum application and whether officials “missed any signs” during the asylum process or his work with the CIA.
“Well, you miss all the signs when you do absolutely zero vetting. And that’s exactly what happened in this case,” Patel said. “When the prior administration made the decision to allow thousands of people into this country without doing a single piece of background checking or vetting, that’s how you miss every single sign.”
Patel then attempted to deflect the question by saying it had been addressed in a statement from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. However, Noem’s Wednesday statement did not mention Lakanwal’s asylum claim, but described him as one of many “unvetted, mass paroled” Afghan nationals who arrived under Operation Allies Welcome.
Patel, who has faced multiple criticisms over his handling of ongoing criminal investigations, also flubbed his line on Wednesday, declaring that authorities would “make sure we find the perpetrators responsible” for the shooting even though the suspect was already detained in the hospital.
The two National Guard troops targeted in what Pirro called an “ambush-style” attack have been identified as Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24.
Pirro, a former Fox News host, said the suspect faces charges of assault with intent to kill while armed and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. She added that first-degree murder charges will be filed if either of the critically injured troops does not survive.
“We are praying that they survive and that the highest charge will not have to be murder in the first degree,” Pirro said. “But make no mistake, if they do not, that will certainly be the charge.”
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