The Federal Bureau of Investigation cut ties with the Anti-Defamation League on Wednesday. The relationship lasted for decades. Now it’s over.

FBI Director Kash Patel made the announcement. He spoke with Fox News Digital. His words were sharp and direct.

“James Comey disgraced the FBI by writing ‘love letters’ to the ADL and embedding agents with an extreme group functioning like a terrorist organization and the disgraceful operation they ran spying on Americans. That was not law enforcement, it was activism dressed up as counterterrorism, and it put Americans in danger.”

Patel continued with more criticism.

“That era is finished. This FBI formally rejects Comey’s policies and any partnership with the ADL.”

The ADL included Turning Point USA in its “Center on Extremism.” That sparked outrage among conservatives. TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk was assassinated at a speaking engagement last month.

Former FBI Director James Comey made public remarks about the ADL dating back to 2014. He spoke at their events. He praised their work. He called them partners.

Comey said in 2017 the ADL was “not only educating” the FBI. They were also working with the bureau to “build bridges in the communities [they] serve.”

At a 2014 summit, Comey made his feelings clear. He called his speech a “love letter to the ADL.”

Three years later, he doubled down.

“Three years later I can say, from the perspective of the FBI, we’re still in love with you.”

That era is now dead.

The ADL classified TPUSA as having links to extremists. Their description was harsh. They said the group had “a range of right-wing extremists and has generated support from anti-Muslim bigots, alt-lite activists and some corners of the white supremacist alt-right.”

A deleted post from the ADL in 2019 was even more direct. It said TPUSA “is a right-wing student group whose leaders & activists have made multiple racist or bigoted comments & have been linked to a variety of extremists.”

The ADL is over 100 years old. Their stated mission is combating “antisemitism, extremism, hate and bigotry, discrimination and injustice.” They do this through advocacy, education and legal action.

But conservatives see something different. They see a political organization masquerading as a watchdog.

Representative Anna Paulina Luna weighed in on social media.

“The @ADL has some explaining to do. Seems to me like if they don’t agree with you, they will label you a ‘hate group.'”

The ADL officially announced the termination of its glossary Tuesday. They said they would “retire the Glossary effectively immediately.”

Their statement tried to explain the decision.

“[A]n increasing number of entries in the Glossary were outdated. We also saw a number of entries intentionally misrepresented and misused.”

But the timing was obvious. Conservative backlash forced their hand. Elon Musk criticized them. Donald Trump Jr. joined in. The pressure built until the ADL folded.

Then Patel dropped the hammer. No more partnership. No more collaboration. No more FBI agents working with what he called “an extreme group.”

Patel posted on X to make the announcement official.

“James Comey wrote ‘love letters’ to the ADL and embedded FBI agents with them – a group that ran disgraceful ops spying on Americans. That era is OVER. This FBI won’t partner with political fronts masquerading as watchdogs.”

The message was clear. The FBI under Patel operates differently than under Comey. The days of cozy relationships with advocacy groups are finished.

Comey faces his own legal problems now. He was recently indicted on charges related to lying to Congress. The Trump administration’s Justice Department brought the charges.

The ADL relied on its FBI partnership for credibility. They worked together since the 1940s. They provided training. They shared data. They collaborated on hate crime investigations.

Now that’s gone.

The FBI’s Denver field office gave a leadership award to a senior ADL official last year. That was before Patel took over. Things have changed dramatically.

The ADL website says it “works closely with federal, state and local law enforcement to assist them in protecting communities from extremism and hate.”

They’ll have to update that language now. The FBI is no longer part of that equation.

Patel made his position clear. He sees the ADL as a political organization. Not a legitimate watchdog. Not a neutral arbiter of extremism.

The split marks a major shift in how the FBI approaches partnerships with outside groups. Patel is cleaning house. He’s rejecting the Comey era completely.

For conservatives who felt targeted by the ADL, this represents vindication. The organization labeled their movements as extremist. Now the FBI has cut them loose.

The ADL did not immediately respond to requests for comment.