Things got pretty weird this week as Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel testified during an oversight hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Bestiality – sexual contact between humans and animals – was a topic of discussion.
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) questioned Patel about a June memo that revealed the FBI had dropped automatic disqualification for applicants who have stolen from prior employers, paid for sex or engaged in bestiality. He also noted that Patel said in July that the FBI was losing out on candidates due to outdated requirements.
“Do you believe those who previously stolen from employers, solicited sex or engaged in bestiality are qualified candidates that the FBI is losing?” Durbin asked.
“Thank you for bringing this up so we can get to the truth of the matter,” Patel responded. He then continued: “We did not want to punish victims of bestiality.”
If that seems a bit confusing to you, you’re not alone. Sen. John N. Kennedy (R-La.) also wanted clarification from Patel about the bestiality thing.
“So you disqualified the animal?” Kennedy asked later on in the hearing.
Patel told both Durbin and Kennedy that by “victims of bestiality” he was referring to sex trafficking victims forced to engage in acts of bestiality.
“Applicants who have engaged in bestiality means they were victims of bestiality because they were forced to do so, and at this FBI, we are not going to criminalize and prevent victims from serving the United States of America and the premiere law enforcement agency in the world,” the FBI director said to Durbin.
When responding to Kennedy, he said: “In a lot of these cases human traffickers – who are some of the worst individuals on planet Earth – they don’t just traffic you for prostitution, they traffic you for degrading acts of all kinds, and they force you into that type of conduct.”
Research by M. Jenny Edwards that focused on 456 arrests for bestiality-related incidents in the U.S. published in the Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law in 2019 noted that “bestiality is an uncomfortable topic about which there is limited scientific literature,” and that “no research has established the actual frequency and nature of deliberate sex acts with animals.”
That research indicated that “animal sex offending may be linked to other criminal behavior, and involves a spectrum of sexual acts, including coercive, violent, and non-violent penetration; solicitation for sex with animals; and deviant behavior including torture and necrophilia,” with 31.6% of animal sex offenders also sexually offended against children and adults.
A 2022 study published in the Animals journal regarding bestiality laws in the U.S. found that all states except New Mexico and West Virginia have statutes that impose sanctions for sexual acts with animals, including 23 that impose a misdemeanor and 25 that impose a felony. Furthermore, that study said that “many states now have felony enhancements for specific sexual acts, for example, coercing a minor to engage in bestiality.”
In the U.S., there have been some reports regarding claims of forced bestiality. These include a 2023 report from the Laurel Leader-Call in Mississippi about a 19-year-old woman who was charged with unnatural intercourse and aggravated animal cruelty but claimed that she was forced into it and a 2024 report from ABC13 in Houston, Texas, about a registered sex offender allegedly forced woman into sex with his dog.
In the U.K., BBC News reported in 2016 on allegations that children were forced to engage in sexual activities with each other and animals at a hotel. The Guardian, another U.K.-based publication, reported in 2017 that “no reliable statistics exist on how many people engage in bestiality,” but it did cite reports about people who allegedly engaged in intercourse with cows, dogs, snakes and horses.
Getting back to the U.S., neither Durbin nor Kennedy seemed impressed with Patel’s answer their questions about the FBI’s bestiality change.
“He’s no longer protecting those who have been charged with bestiality, he’s protecting those who are victims,” quipped Durbin. “Just turned it upside down.”
“Why would you even get in to bestiality?” asked.
“We are not in to bestiality… said Patel.
“I know you’re not,” Kennedy.
The senator then asked Patel to confirm that somebody had brought the issue up to the him before the change was made and Patel said that he too was skeptical until he was showed cases of these bestiality victims who had applied to be in the FBI.
Still, Kennedy pressed Patel to confirm that the FBI would not consider people who voluntarily engage in bestiality for positions in the law enforcement agency.
“If Joe participated in bestiality – not as the animal but as the human – don’t you think he oughta be… disqualified?” said Kennedy, and Patel seemingly agreed.
Meanwhile People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, (PETA) called on people to ask their local lawmakers to “ensure bestiality remains an automatic disqualification for FBI employment,” in a Facebook post this week.
Patel has faced controversies before. Audacy has covered backlash to his girlfriend being a featured performer at “America 250” celebrations, his clash with cops over the Nancy Guthrie disappearance case, his alleged use of a $1 million slush fund and his outburst at a reporter when asked about alleged FBI computer issues.
