Kash Patel hearing: FBI director nominee pressed on Jan. 6, conspiracy comments
President Trump's pick to lead the FBI faced his Senate confirmation hearing.
Kash Patel, President Donald Trump's pick for FBI director, faced members of the Senate Judiciary Committee in his confirmation hearing Thursday.
Patel, a staunch Trump ally, was the acting deputy director of national intelligence during the last year of Trump's first presidency. He has said it's his mission to "annihilate" the so-called "Deep State" of "unelected tyrants" inside government.
Among his supporters, Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, has called Patel's career "a study in fighting for unpopular but righteous causes, exposing corruption, and putting America First."
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Patel makes case for confirmation in opening statement
President Donald Trump's controversial pick to lead the FBI, Kash Patel, insisted in his opening statement that while he would "guide the agency" in its investigations and national security efforts, he would "never make a prosecutorial decision," if confirmed.
"I will remain focused on the FBI's core mission, that is to investigate fully where there is a Constitutional factual basis to do so, and to never make a prosecutorial decision, that is solely the provenance of the Department of Justice and the Attorney General," Patel told the Senate Judiciary.
Patel has previously said that officials involved in building criminal cases against Trump or helping Joe Biden "rig" the 2020 election should be prosecuted.
He has also previously said that the FBI's 2016 investigation of alleged ties between Trump or his associates and Russia -- dubbed "Russiagate" -- was such a massive "criminal enterprise" that it "drowns Watergate."
Patel said he believes that to rebuild public confidence in the FBI, the FBI needs to "tackle violent crime," to "let good cops be cops," and needs to support "full transparency."
Durbin slams Patel over past comments
Before Patel began his opening statement, the top Democrat on the panel, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, insisted Patel had no legitimate qualifications for the job.
Durbin held up posters with excerpts of Patel's writings and social media posts and stated that Patel "traffics in debunked conspiracy theories" and has "neither the experience, the temperament nor the judgment" to lead the FBI.
Trump "has found a loyalist" to put atop the FBI, Durbin said.
Grassley defends Patel as hearing begins
Kash Patel's confirmation hearing has begun, with Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, offered a preemptive defense of Patel, saying the FBI director nominee has been unfairly attacked by critics and inaccurately accused of having an "enemies list."
Democrats will have a chance to offer a statement too, before Patel provides his opening statement.
Confirmation hearing set for 9:30 a.m. ET
The Senate Judiciary Committee is set to meet at 9:30 a.m. ET for Kash Patel's confirmation hearing.
Patel will face Senate Judiciary members from both sides of the aisle in what is expected to be a contentious hearing at times.
He hopes to convince senators that he can rebuild faith in the FBI and keep politics out of its investigations, but Democrats insist his previous public comments suggest otherwise.