The Beastie Boys and FBI Director Kash Patel have both been in the news lately — the Beasties because of Mike D's solo single and tour, Patel for obvious and depressing reasons. You will not be surprised that something incredibly stupid now unites the two of them — a social-media video, posted by Patel, that seemingly uses AI to rip off the Beastie Boys' "Sabotage" video.
Last Monday, Patel posted a promotional video about the FBI's efforts to shut down "fraud," including its case against the Southern Poverty Law Center, which certainly appears to be one of many politically motivated attacks against Donald Trump's enemies, as well as the Minneapolis daycare centers that led to ICE's deadly occupation of the city. The video is set to the Beastie Boys' "Sabotage," and it seems extremely unlikely that Patel got permission from the group for use of the song. The video also replicates a number of shots from the Spike Jonze-directed 1994 "Sabotage" video, one of the most famous music videos of all time.
The "Sabotage" video was obviously a cranked-up parody of opening montages from '70s cop shows, and it was supposed to look ridiculous. Patel's video attempts to make the ridiculous seem heroic, with giant-mustached FBI agents on rooftops with binoculars. In a story on the video, NPR consulted with AI experts, who confirm suspicions that Patel's video was "likely" AI-generated. Several shots from Patel's video directly replicate shots from the Beastie Boys clip, with the kinds of glitches common in AI-generated footage. It's all just so dumb. For reference, watch the Patel video and the "Sabotage" clip below.
With President Trump’s leadership, this @FBI and our interagency partners are conducting massive fraud takedowns coast to coast - and we’re not stopping pic.twitter.com/lLAY4nSsQa
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) May 4, 2026
