Kash Patel announces FBI leaving DC headquarters, 1,500 agents will be transferred

Kash Patel announces FBI leaving DC headquarters

The FBI is leaving its longtime headquarters in D.C. and will transfer 1,500 employees to locations around the country, according to FBI Director Kash Patel.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The FBI is leaving its longtime headquarters in D.C. and will transfer 1,500 employees to locations around the country, according to FBI Director Kash Patel.

What we know:

Patel announced the news Friday morning, stating he didn't expect to share the details of the move. 

"This FBI is leaving the Hoover building because this building is unsafe for our workforce," Patel told Fox Business anchor Maria Bartiromo in a preview clip of an interview that is set to air on Sunday, May 18 on the network.

"The FBI is 38,000 when we are fully manned, which we are not. In the national capital region in the 50-mile radius around Washington, D.C., there were 11,000 FBI employees. That’s like a third of the workforce. A third of the crime doesn’t happen here." 

"So we are taking 1,500 of those folks and moving them out. Every state is getting a plus-up. And I think when we do things like that, we inspire folks in America to become intel analysts and agents and say we want to work at the FBI because we want to fight violent crime, and we want to be sent out into the country to do it."

He added that the transition will begin in the next "three, six, nine months."

"We want the American men and women to know if you’re going to come work at the premier law enforcement agency in the world, we’re going to give you a building that’s commensurate with that, and that’s not this place."

What they're saying:

The "Maryland Team," which includes Gov. Wes Moore, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, Rep. Steny H. Hoyer, Rep. Glenn Ivey, Rep. Kweisi Mfume, Rep. Jamie Raskin, Rep. Sarah Elfreth, Rep. Johnny Olszewski and Rep. April McClain Delaney, issued a joint statement on the matter Friday. 

"Today, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Kash Patel recognized what everyone, including his predecessors, have known for decades: the J. Edgar Hoover building is unsafe, unworthy, and unaccommodating of the FBI's vital national security and law enforcement mission. We agree with his statement that 'if you're going to come work at the premier law enforcement agency in the world, we're going to give you a building that is commensurate with that," the team's statement reads.

"The solution is clear, and the decision to move the headquarters to the site in Greenbelt, Maryland, was final. This site was selected based on a thorough, objective process examining cost, construction timeline, transportation access, community impact, and the FBI's mission requirements. Team Maryland remains committed to providing the world's premier law enforcement agency with the world's premier law enforcement facility. If the ​Trump Administration truly shares that goal, it will work with us to proceed on this project," it goes on to say.

Van Hollen also released a separate statement to FOX 5 on Friday. 

"As Director Patel made clear: the Hoover Building is unsafe, and the men and women who work there deserve a new building fit to serve the nation’s top law enforcement agency. That’s why we’ve fought for years for the new consolidated headquarters in Greenbelt, the location selected after an exhaustive, legal review process that determined it was the best site to meet the Bureau’s modern mission and security needs. This is the only way forward. Greenbelt offers the lowest price for taxpayers and the most efficient timeline for construction – this project must proceed without any further delay to ensure the FBI is fully equipped to carry out its essential work. I will oppose even one penny being spent on a headquarters elsewhere," that statement reads. 

And D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser provided comment, saying, "Having the FBI headquarters in our nation’s capital and near the Department of Justice keeps America safer. The District and our region have many sites where the FBI can fulfill their mission in safe, modern, and secure facilities, and we are ready to help them find both temporary leases and a permanent home. A safe and beautiful DC requires a committed federal partner that will keep our Nation’s Capital a symbol of American strength."