Kash Patel's nomination to lead FBI faces first major Senate hurdle

The Senate Judiciary Committee is acceptable to ballot Thursday connected whether to beforehand Kash Patel's nomination for FBI manager to the Senate level aft a fiery confirmation proceeding past month.

The ballot is scheduled for 9 a.m. ET. If Patel passes done committee, his information volition beryllium up for a afloat Senate vote. 

Democrats had successfully delayed Patel's committee ballot past week successful an effort to unit the Trump nominee to attest a 2nd time. 

Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa., said attempts by Judiciary ranking subordinate Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and others to unit Patel to attest again were "baseless" arsenic helium already sat earlier the committee for much than 5 hours and disclosed "thousands of pages" of records to the panel, arsenic good arsenic astir 150 pages of responses to lawmakers' written questions.

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This week connected the Senate floor, Durbin alleged that Patel was down wide firings astatine the FBI. Durbin said he'd seen "highly credible" whistleblower reports indicating Patel had been "personally directing the ongoing purge of FBI employees anterior to his Senate confirmation for the role."

An adjutant to Patel denied Durbin's claim, telling Fox News Digital the nominee flew location to Las Vegas aft his confirmation proceeding and has "been sitting determination waiting for the process to play out."

Patel, a vociferous hostile to the investigations into President Donald Trump and who was astatine the forefront of his 2020 predetermination fraud claims, vowed during his confirmation proceeding that helium would not prosecute successful governmental retribution.

However, the blimpish firebrand was apt chosen for his tendency to upend the agency. 

In his 2023 book, "Government Gangsters," helium described the FBI arsenic "a instrumentality of surveillance and suppression of American citizens" and "one of the astir cunning and almighty arms of the Deep State." 

Patel has said quality officials are "intent" connected undermining the president, but helium promised helium would not spell aft agents who worked connected the classified documents lawsuit against Trump. 

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"There volition beryllium nary politicization astatine the FBI," Patel said. "There volition beryllium nary retributive action."

Additionally, successful different connection meant to assuage senators' concerns, Patel said helium did not find it feasible to necessitate a warrant for quality agencies to surveil U.S. citizens suspected to beryllium progressive successful nationalist information matters, referring to Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).

"Having a warrant request to spell done that accusation successful existent clip is conscionable not comported with the request to support American citizens," Patel said. "It’s astir intolerable to marque that relation and service the national, no-fail mission."

"Get a warrant" had go a rallying outcry of right-wing conservatives disquieted astir the privateness of U.S. citizens and astir derailed the reauthorization of the surveillance programme entirely. Patel said the programme has been misused, but helium does not enactment making investigators spell to tribunal and plead their lawsuit earlier being capable to wiretap immoderate U.S. citizen. 

Patel besides seemed to interruption with Trump during the proceeding connected the pardons granted to 1,600 persons who had been prosecuted for their engagement successful the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, peculiarly astir those who engaged successful unit and had their sentences commuted. 

"I person ever rejected immoderate unit against instrumentality enforcement," Patel said. "I bash not hold with the commutation of immoderate condemnation of immoderate idiosyncratic that committed unit against instrumentality enforcement."

Patel held a fig of nationalist information roles during Trump's archetypal medication – main of unit to acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller, elder advisor to the acting manager of nationalist intelligence, and National Security Council official. 

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He worked arsenic a senior adjutant connected counterterrorism for erstwhile House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes, wherever helium fought to declassify records helium alleged would amusement the FBI's exertion for a surveillance warrant for 2016 Trump run adjutant Carter Page was illegitimate, and served arsenic a nationalist information authoritative successful the Justice Department. 

Patel's nationalist comments suggest helium would refocus the FBI connected instrumentality enforcement and distant from engagement successful immoderate prosecutorial decisions. 

In a caller Wall Street Journal op-ed, helium suggested his apical 2 priorities were "let bully cops beryllium cops" and "transparency is essential."

"If confirmed, I volition absorption connected streamlining operations astatine office portion bolstering the beingness of tract agents crossed the nation. Collaboration with section instrumentality enforcement is important to fulfilling the FBI’s mission," helium said. 

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Patel went on: "Members of Congress person hundreds of unanswered requests to the FBI. If confirmed, I volition beryllium a beardown advocator for legislature oversight, ensuring that the FBI operates with the openness indispensable to rebuild spot by simply replying to lawmakers."

Fox News' Breanne Depisch contributed to this report.