{"id":1051008,"date":"2025-01-30T17:59:37","date_gmt":"2025-01-30T22:59:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/?p=1051008"},"modified":"2025-01-30T17:59:38","modified_gmt":"2025-01-30T22:59:38","slug":"kash-patels-hearing-shows-he-only-cares-about-revenge-and-retribution-for-trump-not-our-nations-safety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/kash-patels-hearing-shows-he-only-cares-about-revenge-and-retribution-for-trump-not-our-nations-safety\/","title":{"rendered":"Kash Patel\u2019s Hearing Shows He Only Cares About Revenge and Retribution for Trump \u2014 Not Our Nation\u2019s Safety"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In response to Kash Patel\u2019s flailing confirmation hearing today, <\/em>DNC Rapid Response Director Alex Floyd released the following statement:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cKash Patel\u2019s disastrous hearing was just the latest demonstration that he will put loyalty to Donald Trump over our nation\u2019s safety and security. After giving cover to Trump\u2019s lies about our democracy and his dangerous pardons for violent insurrectionists, Patel failed to answer every time he was asked about his plans to carry out Trump\u2019s agenda of revenge and retribution \u2013 and made it clear why he is completely unfit to lead the FBI.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Does Patel stand by his promise to shut down the FBI headquarters and have plans to replace career agents with Trump\u2019s political appointees? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sen. Amy Klobuchar<\/a>: \u201cDid you say that the FBI headquarters should be shut down and reopened as a museum of the deep state?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Patel: *Filibusters while Republican senators shout to end questioning* <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sen. Klobuchar: \u201cMr. Chairman, I am quoting his own words from September of 2024. It is his own words. It is not some conspiracy. It is what Mr. Patel actually said himself. Facts matter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sen. Cory Booker<\/a>: \u201cYou have an assignment from Donald Trump to gut the FBI \u2026 do you agree that you have already prepared plans to remove certain individuals from their offices \u2014 for example, individuals that will be replaced by political personnel?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Patel: \u201cWe can move on.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Will Patel keep covering for Trump\u2019s pardons for violent insurrectionists \u2013 and does he think these dangerous pardons make America safer? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sen. Dick Durbin<\/a>: \u201cDo you think America is safer because President Trump issued these pardons to 1,600 of these criminal defendants, many of whom violently assaulted our police in the Capitol?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Patel: *Doesn\u2019t answer*<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Does Patel still intend to use the FBI to go after the media on behalf of Trump? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sen. Klobuchar<\/a>: \u201cHave you referred to the media as the most powerful enemy of the United States that they have ever seen, is that right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Patel: *Doesn\u2019t answer* <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sen. Klochuar: \u201cYou also said you would put the entire fake news mafia press corps on your list. Is that correct? Is that what you said?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Patel: *Doesn\u2019t answer* <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why does Patel still refuse to admit that Donald Trump lost the 2020 election, while believing Trump has \u201cevery right\u201d to falsely claim elections are rigged? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sen. Mazie Hirono<\/a>: \u201cMr. Patel, did Donald Trump lose the 2020 presidential election, yes or no?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Patel: *Doesn\u2019t answer* <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sen. Hirono: \u201cOnce again, the people who are 100% loyal to President Trump can’t answer that question. It\u2019s alarming that you want to be an FBI director but can’t answer a simple question, a factual question.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sen. Amy Klobuchar<\/a>: \u201cYou said that Donald Trump has every right to tell the world that in 2020, 2016, and every other election in between was rigged by our government because they were. Yes or no, did you say that?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Patel: *Doesn\u2019t answer* <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sen. Klobuchar: \u201cOk, that was from August 27, 2023. \u2026 I\u2019ll put it on the record.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sen. Klobuchar: \u201cThese claims, made in that statement, were rejected by courts including by Republican judges, is that correct?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Patel: *Doesn\u2019t answer again*<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Does Patel remember appearing on conspiracy theorist, neo-Nazi, white supremacist Stew Peters\u2019 show EIGHT separate times? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sen. Dick Durbin<\/a>: \u201cStew Peters, does that name ring a bell?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Patel: \u201cI\u2019m sorry, what?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sen. Durbin: \u201cAre you familiar with Mr. Stew Peters?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Patel: \u201cNot off the top of my head.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sen. Durbin: \u201cYou made 8 separate appearances on his podcast. He promoted outrageous conspiracy theories and worked with a prominent neo-Nazi.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Does Patel still think it is a good idea to repost violence videos of himself taking a chainsaw to political enemies? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse<\/a>: \u201cRegarding his publication of his enemies list, Mr. Patel proclaimed, \u2018the manhunt starts tomorrow\u2019 and reposted a video depicting him taking a chainsaw to his political enemies. Is that you, Kash Patel, retruth, reposting that at the top of that page?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Patel: *Doesn\u2019t answer* <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sen. Whitehouse: \u201cIs that you reposting it was my question.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Patel: \u201cAnd that\u2019s me at the top.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Does Patel agree with Trump that General Milley should be tried for treason? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sen. Peter Welch<\/a>: \u201cYour boss has said General Milley, who served us with great distinction and I happen to have great admiration for, should be tried for treason, do you agree with that?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Patel: \u201cSenator, everybody is entitled to their opinion.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In response to Kash Patel\u2019s flailing confirmation hearing today, DNC Rapid Response Director Alex Floyd released the following statement: \u201cKash Patel\u2019s disastrous hearing was just the latest demonstration that he will put loyalty to Donald Trump over our nation\u2019s safety and security. After giving cover to Trump\u2019s lies about our democracy and his dangerous pardons […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":292,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1051008","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nKash Patel\u2019s Hearing Shows He Only Cares About Revenge and Retribution for Trump \u2014 Not Our Nation\u2019s Safety - Democrats<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/kash-patels-hearing-shows-he-only-cares-about-revenge-and-retribution-for-trump-not-our-nations-safety\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Democrats\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-01-30T22:59:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-01-30T22:59:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Black-Logo-White-Fill-For-Email.png?w=1024\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Adrianna Tomasello\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Adrianna Tomasello\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/kash-patels-hearing-shows-he-only-cares-about-revenge-and-retribution-for-trump-not-our-nations-safety\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/kash-patels-hearing-shows-he-only-cares-about-revenge-and-retribution-for-trump-not-our-nations-safety\/\",\"name\":\"Kash Patel\u2019s Hearing Shows He Only Cares About Revenge and Retribution for Trump \u2014 Not Our Nation\u2019s Safety - 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