Dem Senator Calls Into Question Past Statements Made By Trump Nominee
Kash Patel took the hot seat on Capitol Hill Thursday for his Senate confirmation hearing, facing a Judiciary Committee tasked with deciding whether he will be the next director of the FBI. Given the agency’s plummeting public trust—sitting at a century-low 41% approval rating—Patel’s mission, should he be confirmed, is clear: restore faith in an institution that has been rocked by scandals, political weaponization, and a growing sense that it no longer serves justice impartially.
In his opening remarks, Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley wasted no time in addressing the challenges Patel will inherit. “Public trust in the FBI is low,” Grassley stated bluntly. “It’s no surprise that public trust has declined in an institution that has been plagued by abuse, a lack of transparency, and the weaponization of law enforcement.” Yet, despite its current state, Grassley reinforced the FBI’s indispensable role in protecting law and order, underscoring the high stakes of Patel’s nomination.
How stupid is Adam Schiff?
He successfully schooled himself on the proverbial use of the term “we”. pic.twitter.com/ZFLWeUQ4B3
— Viva Frei (@thevivafrei) January 30, 2025
Patel’s background, Grassley noted, makes him uniquely suited for the task at hand. As a former public defender, Patel has firsthand experience defending constitutional rights—even for those deemed unpopular by society. Later, his work on the House Intelligence Committee helped expose politically motivated corruption within the FBI itself, particularly regarding the now-debunked Russia collusion narrative that dominated headlines for years.
Of course, no confirmation hearing in Washington would be complete without political theatrics, and newly minted Senator Adam Schiff wasted no time providing just that. Rather than focusing on Patel’s vision for tackling cybercrime, terrorism, or espionage—the actual duties of an FBI director—Schiff fixated on Patel’s past podcast appearances and the meaning of the word “we.”
I’ve been looking forward to watching Adam Schiff make a fool of himself while screaming at Kash Patel for a while now.
It did not disappoint. Well worth 8 minutes of your time!
I’d probably react like this too if one of the guys I was caught illegally spying on was about to… pic.twitter.com/Ts3ansvMgU
— TheStormHasArrived (@TheStormRedux) January 30, 2025
It was an odd line of questioning, though not entirely surprising given their history. Patel played a key role in dismantling Schiff’s misleading Russia collusion narrative while working as an investigator on the House Intelligence Committee. Now, with Schiff sitting on the Judiciary Committee, his questioning seemed more like an attempt at political payback than a serious inquiry into Patel’s fitness for the job.
But if Schiff’s grandstanding was meant to derail Patel’s nomination, it did little to slow the momentum behind his confirmation. Patel enjoys broad support from law enforcement professionals, with over 300,000 officers nationwide backing his appointment.
That level of endorsement reflects a deep dissatisfaction within the ranks of law enforcement over how the FBI has been run in recent years—and a belief that Patel is the man to fix it.