The Federal Bureau of Investigation has formally ended its relationship with the Anti-Defamation League, marking a sharp turn in the agency’s approach to partnerships with outside advocacy groups. The ADL, a nonprofit founded more than a century ago to combat anti-Semitism and bigotry, has recently come under scrutiny for including the conservative organization Turning Point USA, founded by the late Charlie Kirk, in its now-defunct “Glossary of Extremism.”

In a statement to Fox News, FBI Director Kash Patel framed the split as part of a broader effort to distance the bureau from what he described as activist-driven operations that put Americans at risk. Citing the tenure of former FBI Director James Comey, Patel said, “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 added, “That era is finished. This FBI formally rejects Comey’s policies and any partnership with the ADL,” signaling a clear departure from past collaboration.

The ADL removed its “Glossary of Extremism” on Tuesday. While the group did not specifically address the inclusion of Turning Point USA, it explained that the database had been compiled “over many years” and that some entries had become “outdated.”

Previously, the glossary had described Turning Point as linked to “a range of right-wing extremists” and generating support from “anti-Muslim bigots, alt-lite activists and some corners of the white supremacist alt-right.” It also accused the organization of promoting “conspiracy theories” about COVID-19’s origins, questioning election integrity, and demonizing the transgender community.

The entry drew criticism from conservative figures, including Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, who shared the description on X (formerly Twitter) and noted what she considered the ADL’s expansive labeling of political opponents. “Seems to me like if they don’t agree with you, they will label you a ‘hate group,’” Luna wrote.

The move underscores the FBI’s current leadership’s intent to recalibrate the bureau’s external partnerships, drawing a stark line between law enforcement activities and advocacy-driven monitoring that some officials argue had blurred the boundaries of federal authority.

Even after the ADL removed its glossary, criticism of the group’s influence continued unabated.

“The FBI was taking their ‘hate group’ definitions from ADL, which is why FBI was investigating Charlie Kirk & Turning Point, instead of his murderers …,” billionaire Elon Musk wrote on the social media platform X, underscoring concerns among critics about the ADL’s role in shaping federal investigations.

But as Patel emphasized in his remarks to Fox News, that era of close collaboration is over.

Patel’s reference to a “love letter” concerned a speech former FBI Director James Comey delivered to the ADL in 2017, in which he described one of his own 2014 addresses as “a love letter to the ADL.” “We are not only educating ourselves. We are working with the ADL to build bridges in the communities we serve,” Comey said at the time.

The ADL, for its part, released a statement Wednesday acknowledging Patel’s decision while reaffirming its “deep respect” for the FBI.