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FBI Head Patel, Dems Clash at Hearing 09/17 06:09
WASHINGTON (AP) -- FBI Director Kash Patel clashed with skeptical Democrats
at a contentious Senate oversight hearing Tuesday, defending his record amid
criticism that he has politicized the nation's premier federal law enforcement
agency and pursued retribution against perceived adversaries of President
Donald Trump.
The appearance Tuesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee represented the
first oversight hearing of Patel's young but tumultuous tenure and provided a
high-stakes platform for him to try to demonstrate that he is the right person
for the job at a time of internal upheaval and mounting concerns about
political violence inside the United States, a threat laid bare by last week's
killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at a college campus in Utah.
The hearing broke along starkly partisan lines, with Republicans rallying
support for Patel even as Democrats said he had debased the integrity of the
nation's premier federal law enforcement agency. Patel, for his part, accused
Democrats of grandstanding for cameras and looking to score political points in
a series of testy shouting matches that punctuated more sedate testimony about
the criminal and national security threats facing the U.S.
"You are the biggest fraud to ever sit in the United States Senate, you are
a disgrace to this institution and you are an utter coward," Patel told
Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff of California, raising his voice during one
particularly combative interaction.
"You can make an internet troll the FBI director, but he will always be an
internet troll," Schiff shot back as Patel continued to shout over him.
Patel sought to keep the focus on what he said was a series of
accomplishments in fighting violent crime, protecting children from abuse and
disrupting the flow of fentanyl. He similarly touted the FBI's work in
arresting within 33 hours the man suspected in Kirk's assassination, but also
faced questions over confusion he caused soon after the killing when he posted
on social media that "the subject" was in custody.
That person was later released after investigators determined he had no
connection. Patel said he had been trying to be transparent with the public and
didn't consider the post a mistake, but acknowledged he could have been clearer.
"Could I have been more careful in my verbiage and included 'a' subject
instead of subject? Sure," Patel said.
Questions about FBI firings
Democrats repeatedly tried to steer the hearing back to the turmoil inside
the FBI, including a purge of experienced agents and supervisors that they said
was a troubling about-face from his confirmation hearing pledge in January that
he would not look "backwards" or seek retaliation as director.
"I'm not going to mince words: You lied to us," said Sen. Richard
Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat.
Patel angrily disputed that suggestion, and said that though he could not
discuss the specifics of those firings due to the litigation, "Anyone that is
terminated at the FBI, as I've said before, is done so because they failed to
meet the standards and uphold their loyalty and oath to the Constitution."
Five agents and top-level executives were known to have been summarily fired
last month in a wave of ousters that current and former officials say has
contributed to declining morale.
One of those, Steve Jensen, helped oversee investigations into the Jan. 6,
2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol. Another, Brian Driscoll, served as acting
director in the early days of the Trump administration and resisted Justice
Department demands to supply the names of agents who investigated Jan. 6. A
third, Chris Meyer, was incorrectly rumored on social media to have
participated in the investigation into Trump's retention of classified
documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida.
A lawsuit filed last week by three of the fired agents alleged that Patel
understood that the firings were "likely illegal" but had to carry them out
because he was ordered to do so from the White House. Patel on Tuesday denied
taking orders from the White House on whom to fire.
"I believe that you're failing as a leader and that your failure does have
serious implications for the safety and security of Americans and our
families," said Democratic Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey. "We're more
vulnerable to domestic and foreign attack because of your failures of
leadership."
The accusation prompted an angry response from Patel, who called it a "rant
of false information" and rattled off what he said was a series of successes
under his watch as the FBI has elevated its focus on illegal immigration,
street crime, drugs and human trafficking.
"If the FBI under my seven-month leadership were failing this administration
and this country, why do we have 23,000 violent felons arrested this year
alone?" Patel asked. "Why is it that we have seized 6,000 weapons? Why have we
found 1,500 child predators and arrested them?"
Patel had a similarly tense exchange with Sen. Dick Durbin, the top Democrat
on the committee, after Durbin challenged him on an unsubstantiated theory
advanced by Deputy Director Dan Bongino that the placement of pipe bombs in
Washington ahead of the Capitol riot was an inside job.
"I find it disgusting that everyone and anyone would jettison our 31 years
of combined experience that is now at the helm of the FBI, delivering historic
results at a historic speed for the American people," Patel said.
Retaliation denied
Republicans eagerly came to Patel's defense, with Sen. Chuck Grassley of
Iowa, the committee chairman, praising the director for having "begun the
important work of returning the FBI to its law enforcement mission."
"It's well understood that your predecessor left you an FBI infected with
politics," Grassley stated.
The hearing unfolded against the backdrop of the Kirk killing and on the
same day that the suspected shooter, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, was charged in
Utah with aggravated murder. Patel said the FBI was continuing to investigate
the suspect, who authorities said ascribed to a " leftist ideology, " with
investigators "running out every lead related to any allegation of broader
violence."
The FBI director was also challenged on whether he was pursuing retaliation
against perceived Trump foes, including through a fresh inquiry the bureau has
undertaken related to the long-concluded FBI investigation into potential ties
between Russia and Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse estimated that Patel had already taken some sort of
adverse action against 20 of the 60 or so people who were singled out in what
the Rhode Island Democrat described as an "enemies list" in a 2023 book Patel
authored called "Government Gangsters: The Deep State, the Truth and the Battle
for Our Democracy."
The Justice Department, for instance, appeared to confirm in an unusual
statement in July that it was investigating former FBI Director James Comey and
former CIA Director John Brennan, both pivotal players in the Russia saga.
"That is an entirely inaccurate presupposition," Patel said. "I do not have
an enemies list."
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