Democrat accuses Trump FBI pick Kash Patel of secretly ordering firings
NBCFeb 13
Senate Dem Claims FBI Nominee Patel May Have Committed Perjury
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Above: Kash Patel is sworn in during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on his nomination to be FBI Director, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on Jan. 30, 2025. Image copyright: Mandel Ngan/Contributor/AFP via Getty Images
The Facts
US Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) of the Judiciary Committee has accused FBI director nominee Kash Patel of potentially committing perjury during his Jan. 30 confirmation hearing when he testified that he was unaware of plans to remove FBI personnel.
Durbin cited whistleblower reports and notes from Jan. 29 from FBI and Justice Department (DOJ) officials that allegedly said, "KP [Kash Patel] wants movement at FBI, reciprocal actions for DOJ." He further claimed that Patel was in secret contact with White House official Stephen Miller.
The day after Patel's testimony, acting FBI Director Brian Driscoll revealed that Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, whom Miller allegedly relayed Patel's messages to, ordered the removal of eight senior FBI executives and demanded names of all FBI employees involved in the Jan. 6 riot investigations.
The Spin
Left narrative
Kash Patel's actions show he's already trying to turn the FBI into a right-wing retribution agency. His denial of involvement, coupled with his history of targeting political opponents, indicates a strategy to bypass legal oversight and use the FBI for political vendettas. If Patel can't even get through the confirmation process without breaking the law, he and his conspiracy-focused agenda should not be in charge of enforcing federal law.
Right narrative
Dick Durbin requested to delay Patel's confirmation process last week to give himself time to conjure up a smear campaign just like this. He knows that if Patel becomes FBI director, he will use his power not to unfairly target political opponents, but to investigate the more than a dozen FBI informants who are suspected of having taken part in Jan. 6. If Patel's confirmation is blocked, it will be a crushing blow to Americans' hopes of reforming the deeply corrupt FBI.
