FBI Director Kash Patel's appearance at a law enforcement conference in downtown Denver this weekend has been canceled.
Patel was scheduled to speak in Denver at the International Association of Chiefs of Police conference on Sunday, but the event is now listed as canceled on the website.
Patel had been expected to “share insights on FBI priorities and reinforce the critical law enforcement partnerships needed to combat violent crime and address transnational threats,” according to the IACP website.
Patel was appointed by President Donald Trump earlier this year. He was recently at the center of a heated Senate hearing, with Democrats accusing him of “hollowing out the nation's premier law enforcement agency and pursuing President Trump's promised campaign of retribution,” as NPR reported.
The IACP conference is still expected to draw some 16,000 police professionals to Denver. (It’s also why a helicopter landed on Colfax the other day.) This weekend also marks the second “No Kings” protest, which could bring large crowds of anti-Trump protesters to downtown on Saturday.
Neither the FBI nor the IACP immediately responded to a request for comment or provided any public explanation. An automated response from the FBI noted the agency is focused on national security, violations of federal law, and essential public safety functions amid the federal government shutdown.
