Durbin calls Patel "arguably the most partisan FBI director ever"
Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, called Patel "arguably the most partisan FBI director ever" and alleged he has "attacked the FBI with a vengeance."
In his opening statement, Durbin criticized Patel's handling of the Kirk assassination. Hours after the shooting, Patel announced on social media a "subject" was in custody, even as state officials said they were still looking for the suspected shooter. Patel later posted on X that the subject had been released.
"Mr. Patel was so anxious to take credit for finding Mr. Kirk's assassin, that he violated one of the basics of effective law enforcement: at critical stages of an investigation, shut up and let the professionals do their job," Durbin said.
Durbin also addressed the "purge" of FBI staff since President Trump returned to office.
"As we heard from highly credible whistleblowers, Mr. Patel was involved in directing this purge even before he was confirmed, despite his sworn testimony to this committee," Durbin said, adding that at least 18 of 53 special agents in charge, the top agents in FBI field offices, have been ousted.
Grassley gavels in hearing, says Patel inherited FBI "infected with politics"
Sen. Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican who chairs the committee, gaveled the hearing in shortly after 9 a.m.
"We meet today in the aftermath of the political assassination of Charlie Kirk, a school shooting in the senseless murder of Ukrainian refugees, and also to remember, several weeks ago, the killings in Minnesota," Grassley said.
Grassley said he's asked Patel to provide an update on the Kirk assassination during the hearing.
The Iowa Republican praised Patel for the "important work" of returning the FBI to a "law-enforcement mission." He compared Patel's work to that of former Director Christopher Wray, saying "it's well understood that your predecessor left you an FBI infected with politics."
Patel will testify before a House panel on Wednesday
Patel is also scheduled to testify before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. That panel is also responsible for the oversight of the FBI. The committee's chairman, GOP Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, is a strong backer of the president.
36m agoPatel likely to face questions about his handling of the Charlie Kirk shooter investigation
Hours after Kirk was shot and killed at Utah Valley University on Wednesday, Patel announced on social media at 6:21 p.m. ET that the "subject for the horrific shooting today that took the life of Charlie Kirk is now in custody." Moments after that, Beau Mason, the head of Utah's Department of Public Safety, told reporters authorities would be working around the clock to find Kirk's killer.
About 90 minutes after his initial post, Patel posted that the subject had been released, and Kirk's killer was still at large.
But the disparity between Patel's initial post and what law enforcement were saying in Utah sparked confusion.
Ultimately, authorities said the father of the suspect was the one who encouraged him to turn himself in, after recognizing his son in photos released by the FBI.
The suspect in Kirk's killing was announced Friday morning.
Patel's decision to fly to Utah ahead of the arrest announcement, as a law enforcement press conference was delayed, also came under scrutiny. Earlier this week, Patel defended his handling of the Kirk investigation.
"Could I have worded it a little better in the heat of the moment? Sure," he said on "Fox & Friends" on Monday. "But do I regret putting it out? Absolutely not. I was telling the world what the FBI was doing as we were doing and I'm continuing to do that."
What to know about Kash Patel
Patel, a longtime ally to President Trump, was narrowly confirmed by the Senate in February, facing opposition from all Democrats and two Republicans.
The 45-year-old's career began as a public defender in Florida, before Patel went on to become a trial attorney in the Justice Department's National Security Division and a legal liaison to Joint Special Operations Command. In Mr. Trump's first administration, Patel served in intelligence and defense roles, and held a position on the National Security Council and as chief of staff to the secretary of defense.
Patel came into the role after former FBI Director Chris Wray resigned at the end of the Biden administration as Mr. Trump pledged to fire him, though he had been nominated to a 10-year-term that was set to end in 2027. The FBI had long been a target of the president's ire, especially after FBI agents executed a court-authorized search warrant at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.
