Washington, DC [US], January 30 : US President Donald Trump's pick for Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) director, Kash Patel, will appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee for confirmation hearing on Thursday (local time) for what is expected to be a fiery and contentious hearing, Politico reported.
Senate Democrats have been battle-testing their message with the hope that it might break through. A few weeks ago, Democrats turned attorney general nominee Pam Bondi's confirmation hearing into a practice round for Patel's questioning. Democrats repeatedly brought up Patel, asking Bondi to give response to various statements made by Trump's pick for FBI director over the years, including about his plans to go after members of the "Executive Branch Deep State," according to Politico report.
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, a Democratic member of the Judiciary Committee, said, "There's immense amounts of material for him to explain." He called Patel "dangerously unqualified" and "dangerously partisan by his own terms."
Patel, who is a staunch Trump loyalist, has served in his previous administration as well. During the first Trump administration, Kash Patel served as chief of staff at the Department of Defense and as a senior National Security Council staffer. As an aide with the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Patel maneuvered to discredit the probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Patel will invariably face tough questions regarding some of the posts he shared on his social media account, including potentially his peddling of so-called vaccine detoxification supplements. One picture which shows Kash Patel throwing an object with Senator Adam Schiff's face on it out of a catapult has already drawn attention of Senate Judiciary Democrats, according to Politico report.
Democrat lawmaker Schiff, who led the first impeachment inquiry into Trump while a member of the House, is now a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
In the committee meeting on Wednesday to advance Bondi's nomination, Shelton Whitehouse mentioned about a video reposted by Patel of an AI-generated version of himself taking a chainsaw to the likenesses of Schiff and former Representative Liz Cheney, who served as one of two GOP members on the now-disbanded House committee charged with investigating the January 6, 2021 attacks on the Capitol.
Senate Judiciary Democrats have told acting attorney general, James R McHenry III, to provide relevant materials on Patel which is mentioned in a report from former special counsel Jack Smith about Trump's alleged mishandling of classified documents. Kash Patel had been called to testify in the probe and was granted immunity, Politico reported.
In a letter to McHenry, the Democratic senators wrote, "The Committee cannot adequately fulfill its constitutional duty without reviewing details in the report of Mr. Patel's testimony under oath, which is necessary to evaluate Mr. Patel's truthfulness, trustworthiness, and regard for the protection of classified information."
Earlier in December, Trump nominated Kash Patel to serve as the next Director of FBI. In a post on the social media platform Truth Social, Trump announced Patel's nomination, highlighting his distinguished career in various government roles. These include serving as Chief of Staff at the Department of Defense, Deputy Director of National Intelligence, and Senior Director for Counterterrorism at the National Security Council during Trump's first term as President.
Trump praised Patel for his work in investigating the so-called "Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax," calling him an "America First" fighter who has spent his career exposing corruption, defending justice, and protecting the American people.
"I am proud to announce that Kashyap 'Kash' Patel will serve as the next Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Kash is a brilliant lawyer, investigator, and 'America First' fighter who has spent his career exposing corruption, defending justice, and protecting the American people. He played a pivotal role in uncovering the 'Russia, Russia, Russia' hoax, standing as an advocate for truth, accountability, and the Constitution. Kash did an incredible job during my first term, where he served as Chief of Staff at the Department of Defense, Deputy Director of National Intelligence, and Senior Director for Counterterrorism at the National Security Council. Kash has also tried over 60 jury trials," Trump stated.
Trump further tasked Patel to address critical issues such as rising crime rates, criminal gangs, and human and drug trafficking across the US border. He also underlined that Patel would work under Attorney General Pam Bondi to restore the FBI's core motto: Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity.
"This FBI will end the growing crime epidemic in America, dismantle migrant criminal gangs, and stop the evil scourge of human and drug trafficking across the border," Trump stated, adding that "Kash will work under our great Attorney General, Pam Bondi, to restore Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity to the FBI."