Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) pressed Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s nominee for FBI Director, on his blind loyalty to Trump and exposing Patel’s past record tying him to January 6th insurrectionists.
“How did we get here and where are we going? History is littered with democracies that lost their freedoms and didn’t notice it while it was happening. Let’s not be one of them.”
Key Excerpts:
On Patel refusing to condemn violence against law enforcement:
Schiff: […] People who violently attacked police have a number one song, thanks to you, Mr. Patel. That’s something to be really proud of. Now you’ve claimed, Mr. Patel, you didn’t know about any of these people in the choir. Is that right?
Patel: I did not know about the violent offenders, and I did not participate in any of the violence in and around January 6th.
Schiff: So tell me, Mr. Patel, what due diligence did you do to find out who was in the choir before you promoted their beautiful music? These people assaulted law enforcement. What due diligence did you do?
Patel: Senator, I didn’t record it myself.
Schiff: So you did no due diligence before you promoted this song by these violent felons. Is that what you’re telling us?
Patel: Senator, I did not record that myself.
Schiff: So you’re being considered for Director of the FBI and here you did no diligence to find out whether people you were associating — with now the President of the United States — in song, were convicted of attacking police officers. Is that who we want running the FBI? I want you to turn around. There are Capitol police officers behind you. They’re guarding us. Take a look at them right now. Turn around.
Patel: I’m looking at you. You’re talking —
Schiff: Oh no no —
Patel: — to me.
Schiff: — look at them. I want you to look at them if you can, if you have the courage to look them in the eye, Mr. Patel and tell them you’re proud of what you did. Tell them you’re proud that you raised money off of people that assaulted their colleagues, that pepper sprayed them, that beat them with poles. Tell them you’re proud of what you did, Mr. Patel. They’re right there. They’re guarding you today. Tell them how proud you are.
On Patel’s loyalty to Trump and inability to act independently:
[…] I would just say we need to think about where we are in this moment. We have a new president. He’s fired prosecutors who investigated him. He’s investigating other prosecutors, or his Department of Justice is. He’s fired inspectors general who might hold him accountable. And this is just the start.
And as FBI Director nominee, he’s chosen someone whose primary qualification, in my view, is his willingness to say yes when everyone else would say no, to whatever the president wanted, to say whatever he wanted, to do whatever he wanted. That’s why he is sitting here. I mean, look at the people who held that job before Mr. Patel, the stature of the people that held that job, the qualifications of the people that held that job. And how can any of us think that his background, his qualifications, hold a candle to the people who went before him? How did we get here, where we are defending a nominee like this, who makes songs with convicts who attack law enforcement. How did we get here and where are we going? History is littered with democracies that lost their freedoms and didn’t notice it while it was happening. Let’s not be one of them.
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