Nearly $8,000 every two weeks went to some agents already at the federal pay cap, and the panel said at least five consecutive payments pushed payouts to about $40,000 per person while reserve bonus accounts were drained.
Raskin said the main beneficiaries were members of Patel’s 2025-created “director’s advisory team” and his security detail, raising questions over whether the money rewarded politically driven work or kept witnesses to Patel’s private conduct quiet.
June 29 is Patel’s deadline to disclose recipients, totals and legality reviews, but Democrats cannot compel records unless they retake the House in November.