Kash Patel hearing: FBI director nominee pressed on Jan. 6, conspiracy comments

In an exchange with Sen. Mazie Hirono, Patel was questioned over a "supplement" he promoted to his followers that he claimed would act as a "detox" to rid them of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Patel pushed back, asking Hirono, "Senator, do you know of any individuals who died as a result of the vaccine? Because I do."

The nominee did not provide further details about his claim.

Hirono repeatedly asked Patel if he made money as a result of promoting the supplements, but Patel declined to answer the question directly -- referring Hirono to his financial disclosures provided to the committee.

Sen. Coons asked Patel to clarify controversial comments from a podcast interview with Steve Bannon in which Patel stated he believed the next leader of the FBI should empty out the bureau's headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Patel, in his remarks to Bannon, said the FBI building should be made into a "museum" of the "Deep State."

Patel sought to water down the remarks, noting he was only hoping to make the point that large numbers of agents concentrated in the Capital region should be assigned to more offices in the interior of the country.

During questioning from Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn, Patel wouldn't unequivocally commit to ensuring that the FBI agents who worked on special counsel Jack Smith's cases against Trump won't be fired.

Blumenthal said Patel "failed" the first test to see if he would truly be apolitical.

"If you can't commit that those FBI agents will be protected from political retribution, we can't accept you as FBI director," the senator said.

In an exchange with Democratic Sen. Chris Coons, Patel was repeatedly pressed over how he would approach politically sensitive investigations if confirmed as the FBI's next director.

Patel answered that the FBI director directly reports to the deputy attorney general, who is supervised by the attorney general.

Coons then further pressed Patel on how he would respond if an FBI line agent brought him a predicated case against someone politically favored by Trump, and the White House asked him to stand down.

"The line agents, the brick agents, who are trained to bring investigations on behalf of the FBI, will make that decision-making process, and they will only have my full support, so long as it upholds absolutely every value of the Constitution," Patel answered.

But Patel declined to go as far as his predecessor in the job -- former FBI Director Christopher Wray -- in saying that if he were ever improperly pressured by the White House to bring or drop a case, he would resign.