Sen. Adam Schiff of California, one of the most controversial and partisan Democrats in Congress, lamented over Kash Patel on Monday as he appears set to be confirmed as the next FBI director.
“It is just a tragedy for the FBI that it comes to this. I can’t imagine the demoralization at the FBI and the Department of Justice. The damage will be long, long-standing,” Schiff said, according to the Sacramento Bee.
That said, Republicans are supporting Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the bureau, which they say is solely in need of de-politicization after years of being weaponized against by the current president by Joe Biden’s left-wing administration and entrenched operatives within the agency itself.
“The Trump administration is cleaning house at the FBI because the FBI is and has been for many years infected with political bias and whistleblower retaliation,” Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, countered.
Schiff and Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) serve as members of the committee. The Republican-led panel approved Patel’s nomination in a 12-10 party-line vote. The full Senate is expected to hold a confirmation vote next week.
Republicans contended that the Biden administration’s FBI frequently pursued politically motivated investigations, targeting both Trump and individuals involved in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. They also criticized the FBI’s 2022 search of Mar-a-Lago for classified documents taken by Trump after leaving the White House in 2021. Trump was indicted in 2023 over the findings, but the case was dismissed following his re-election last year.
“Mr. Patel should be our next FBI director because the FBI has been infected by political bias and weaponized against the American people,” Grassley said.
The full Senate is expected to vote on whether to confirm Patel on Tuesday.
As for Schill, Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) believes she knows why he’s so against Patel as FBI director: Because Patel is aware that Schiff, for years, pushed the false ‘Trump-Russia collusion’ narrative that has been repeatedly debunked via several investigations.
“I think, too, they are very fearful of Kash Patel, because Kash Patel knows what Adam Schiff and some of the others did with Russia collusion, and they know that he knows — the dirt on them, if you will — and I think they’re fearful of what he’s going to do and what he’s going to reveal,” Blackburn told “Fox & Friends” on Sunday.
She also said that Democrats recognize that “Patel is very devoted to bringing transparency to what’s going on in Washington.”
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Blackburn also addressed these alleged concerns during remarks to the Senate Judiciary Committee late last month after Patel’s confirmation hearings.
“As I’ve listened to my Democratic colleagues in their comments this morning, you can hear the anger and the displeasure with having Kash Patel before us. But I think it’s important to realize why Kash Patel is there and why President Trump chose to nominate Kash Patel,” she began.
“The American people are sick and tired of two tiers of access, two tiers of treatment, and two tiers of justice. And during the Biden years, this was writ large in the actions of the DOJ and the FBI. We have all seen it,” she added.
“Now, when Mr. Patel was before us, before I started my questioning, I asked him a question that came from listening to my Democratic colleagues as they were questioning him,” Blackburn continued.”
“And it was, why do the Democrats fear him? Why do they fear him? And I think the answer is so very apparent. They fear him because, yes, indeed, he is out of the box. They fear him because of what he knows about Russia collusion, what he knows about some of the activity that has taken place,” she charged.
“And they fear him because he is going to return the FBI to its core mission, investigating violent crimes and keeping our nation safe,” she added.
Blackburn also addressed these alleged concerns during remarks to the Senate Judiciary Committee late last month after Patel’s confirmation hearings.
“As I’ve listened to my Democratic colleagues in their comments this morning, you can hear the anger and the displeasure with having Kash Patel before us. But I think it’s important to realize why Kash Patel is there and why President Trump chose to nominate Kash Patel,” she began.
“The American people are sick and tired of two tiers of access, two tiers of treatment, and two tiers of justice. And during the Biden years, this was writ large in the actions of the DOJ and the FBI. We have all seen it,” she added.
“Now, when Mr. Patel was before us, before I started my questioning, I asked him a question that came from listening to my Democratic colleagues as they were questioning him,” Blackburn continued.”
“And it was, why do the Democrats fear him? Why do they fear him? And I think the answer is so very apparent. They fear him because, yes, indeed, he is out of the box. They fear him because of what he knows about Russia collusion, what he knows about some of the activity that has taken place,” she charged.
“And they fear him because he is going to return the FBI to its core mission, investigating violent crimes and keeping our nation safe,” she added.
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Blackburn also addressed these alleged concerns during remarks to the Senate Judiciary Committee late last month after Patel’s confirmation hearings.
“As I’ve listened to my Democratic colleagues in their comments this morning, you can hear the anger and the displeasure with having Kash Patel before us. But I think it’s important to realize why Kash Patel is there and why President Trump chose to nominate Kash Patel,” she began.
“The American people are sick and tired of two tiers of access, two tiers of treatment, and two tiers of justice. And during the Biden years, this was writ large in the actions of the DOJ and the FBI. We have all seen it,” she added.
“Now, when Mr. Patel was before us, before I started my questioning, I asked him a question that came from listening to my Democratic colleagues as they were questioning him,” Blackburn continued.”
“And it was, why do the Democrats fear him? Why do they fear him? And I think the answer is so very apparent. They fear him because, yes, indeed, he is out of the box. They fear him because of what he knows about Russia collusion, what he knows about some of the activity that has taken place,” she charged.
“And they fear him because he is going to return the FBI to its core mission, investigating violent crimes and keeping our nation safe,” she added.
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