Donald Trump’s nominee for FBI Director, Kashyap Pramod Patel, a former chief of staff at the Department of Defense, appeared before the Senate for his confirmation hearing on Thursday (Jan 30).
Chuck Grassley, Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, opened the hearing, saying that public trust in the FBI had reached its “lowest rating in a century.” He attributed this decline to “abuse, lack of transparency and weaponisation of law enforcement.”
Addressing Patel directly, Grassley stressed that his role would be to “restore” public confidence, highlighting Patel’s “extensive background” as an asset.
During the hearing, Grassley questioned Patel about QAnon, a widely discredited conspiracy theory alleging that Trump was secretly battling elite Satan-worshipping paedophiles in government, business, and the media. Grassley directly asked Patel whether he was a “follower or promoter” of the theory, to which Patel firmly responded, “No.”
'Kash Patel doesn't meet the standard': Richard Durbin
Richard Durbin, the leading Democrat on the committee, voiced strong opposition to Patel’s nomination, arguing that he lacked the “experience,” “temperament,” and “judgment” necessary for the role. “After meeting with Patel and reviewing his record, I do not believe you meet the standard,” Durbin said. He described Patel as someone who had “left behind a trail of grievances” and had a history of retaliating against those who disagreed with him.
Durbin also pointed out that Donald Trump had previously dismissed his first FBI director, James Comey, and pressured his second, Christopher Wray, to step down. “With Patel, however, obviously, the president has found a loyalist,” he added.
Kash Patel's opening statement at Senate confirmation
In his opening statement, Patel spoke about his Indian heritage and how it had shaped his worldview. If confirmed, he pledged to uphold the FBI’s primary mission: “to investigate fully wherever there is a constitutional factual basis to do so.”
Patel was also questioned about his stance on whether those involved in the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, should have been pardoned by Trump. He responded, “I have always rejected any violence against law enforcement, including in that group, any violence against law enforcement on January 6.”
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat, challenged Patel over past comments, particularly a social media post referencing an “enemies list” and saying, “The manhunt starts tomorrow.” The so-called enemies list, featured in the appendix of Patel’s book, named individuals he described as part of the “deep state,” including former president Joe Biden, former Attorney General Merrick Garland, and former National Security Adviser John Bolton.
Patel rejected the characterisation of the list as targeting opponents, saying, “It’s not an enemies list. It’s a total mischaracterisation.”
(With inputs from agencies)