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Kash Patel, President Trump’s pick to lead — and upend — the FBI, came to Capitol Hill on Thursday eager to talk about the future of the bureau as a lean, crime-fighting machine.
Democrats were determined to talk about the past, and in particular a series of impolitic things Mr. Patel has said over the years.
Mr. Patel tried to sideline those concerns during five hours of confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee, mocking accusations that he cavorts with racists and promising not to use the FBI to retaliate against Trump political opponents.
“I would never do anything unconstitutional or unlawful and I never have in my 16 years of government service,” Mr. Patel said.
He specifically promised there will be no attempt to use the FBI for payback, and the bureau will only open cases when there is a proper legal foundation to do so.
“The 8th and last [priority] of the FBI on their mission statement right now is fighting violent crime. That needs to be No. 1,” he said. “The 8th core value, out of all core values on the FBI’s website right now, is ‘rigorous obedience to the Constitution.’ That needs to be No. 1.”
SEE ALSO: Cory Booker and Kash Patel spar over recent firings at the Justice Department
The assurances were unlikely to sway Democrats, who found Mr. Patel’s promises difficult to swallow as they looked back at megabytes of social media posts and podcast appearances.
Sen. Chris Coons, Delaware Democrat, highlighted a past comment that Mr. Patel wanted to close the FBI’s D.C. headquarters and turn it into a museum of the “deep state.” Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota Democrat, was irked by Mr. Patel’s calling the 2016 and 2020 elections “rigged” and jabbing at military brass as “cowards in uniform” after the Pentagon’s controversial response to the Jan. 6, 2021, riots at the U.S. Capitol.
Mr. Patel told senators: “If the best attacks on me are going to be false accusations and grotesque mischaracterizations, the only thing this body is doing is defeating the credibility of the men and women at the FBI.”
Sen. Richard J. Durbin, Illinois Democrat, prodded Mr. Patel on whether he backed Mr. Trump’s blanket clemency for those involved in the attack on the Capitol.
Mr. Patel put a little daylight between himself and the president.
“I have always rejected any violence against law enforcement, and I have included in that group any violence against law enforcement on January 6, and I do not agree with the commutation of any sentence of any individual who committed violence against law enforcement,” he said.
SEE ALSO: Patel accuses Dem lawmakers of ‘false accusations’ and ‘mischaracterizations’
Republicans and Democrats praised Mr. Patel, 44, for his personal story, including his Indian immigrant parents who fled dictator Idi Amin’s Uganda and eventually settled in New York. But it’s what Mr. Patel has done since then that sparked division.
He was part of a House Republican team that discredited the 2016 election Russia “collusion” allegations against Mr. Trump, then joined Mr. Trump’s National Security Council. When Mr. Trump was out of the White House, Mr. Patel served as a fierce loyalist and is on the board that oversees Mr. Trump’s Truth Social platform.
Mr. Patel said he would resign that post if he wins confirmation as FBI director.
His nomination was a Rorschach test for feelings on Mr. Trump.
“I do think you have an assignment from Donald Trump to gut the FBI,” said Sen. Cory Booker, New Jersey Democrat. “Do you agree that you have already prepared plans to remove certain individuals from their offices?
Mr. Patel said his FBI wouldn’t pursue cases based on politics.
“There will be no politicization of the FBI. There will be no retributive actions,” he told senators.
Mr. Booker also chided Mr. Patel for refusing to divulge what he told a grand jury convened by former Special Counsel Jack Smith to pursue Mr. Trump for holding classified documents at his Florida home.
“Sir, did you or did you not commit a crime?” Mr. Booker asked.
“Senator, I did not commit a crime,” Mr. Patel said.
Democrats also pounded Mr. Patel over his involvement in promoting the “J6 Choir,” a group of defendants from the Capitol attack who recorded a version of the national anthem during their incarceration.
Mr. Patel said the song was produced to raise funds for families in need.
“I will always utilize my resources to help Americans in need, which is what I was trying to do here. And I’ve never once advocated for political violence or violence against law enforcement,” he told Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut Democrat.
The very things that worried Democrats in Thursday’s hearing amused Republicans.
“You’ve made a lot of people mad,” said Sen. John Kennedy, Louisiana Republican. “Think maybe you made the right people mad?”
“If you’re not ticking off some people, you’re not doing your job,” Mr. Patel said.
That was just what Republicans hoped to hear.
“The rot is deep and the time for you is now,” said Sen. Eric Schmitt, Missouri Republican.
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