President Donald Trump’s FBI appointee Kash Patel plans to lay out his two step plan to help reform the FBI and restore “trust” in the agency during his confirmation hearing, according to an excerpt obtained exclusively by the Daily Caller.
The former Chief of Staff to the Secretary of Defense is set to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday at 9:30 a.m. EST for his confirmation hearing. In his pitch to Senators, Patel plans to call out the “erosion of trust” in the FBI while promising, if confirmed, to restore “confidence” and “transparency,” according to an excerpt obtained exclusively by the Daily Caller. (RELATED: Kash Patel Wants The FBI Out Of The Spying Game — Here’s Where He Could Start)
“I spearheaded the investigation which proved the violations of FISA – a tool I had previously used to hunt down terrorists—unlawfully used to spy on political opponents. Such misconduct is unacceptable and undermines public trust,” Patel plans to say, pulling from his experience on the House Intelligence Committee.
“The erosion of trust is evident: only 40 percent of Americans hold a favorable view of the FBI. This must change. Public cooperation is vital for the bureau to solve crimes, and its declining reputation is already affecting recruitment efforts,” he continues.
Patel will lay out his plan to reform the FBI, breaking it into two parts, according to the excerpt. The first step, Patel says, is that you must “let good cops be cops,” and support agents who “apprehend criminals and protect our citizens.”
Working with Devin Nunes, Kash Patel was instrumental in dismantling the Russia Hoax.
He was the author of the famous memo that exposed how the FBI lied in FISA warrants to spy on Carter Page.
He exposed how the bogus Steele Dossier was funded by Hillary’s campaign and used…
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) December 1, 2024
As a part of this, the nominee is expected to tell senators that he will “focus on streamlining operations at headquarters while bolstering the presence of field agents across the nation.”
Patel will argue that his planned second step to restore trust in the FBI will be through “transparency.” Patel plans to pledge to be a “strong advocate for Congressional oversight” as he recognizes that members of congress have “hundreds of unanswered requests to the FBI,” the excerpt reads.
“If confirmed, I intend to collaborate closely with the Department of Justice to bring safety and relief to American communities. Gallup recently reported that nearly half of all Americans—the highest in three decades—would be afraid to walk alone at night within a mile of their home. This is compounded by nearly 20,000 annual homicides, 110,000 annual rapes, and 200 drug overdoses a day. Violent crime demands immediate action,” Patel plans to add in his opening statement.
this kind of thing remains the bull case for Kash Patel: how many senior GOP officials are former public defenders (thankless work Patel did for 8 years in Miami)? Work echoed by a hostage rescue drive into Syria in summer 2020– when few in the world cared about Syria pic.twitter.com/XVz0LmbDLz
— Curt Mills (@CurtMills) December 22, 2024
Patel rose to prominence after he was a vocal critic of the Mueller investigation into “Russian interference” during the 2016 election. The investigation ended up turning up nothing and being a major distraction during Trump’s first term.
Following Trump’s decision to tap Patel, Democrats whined, citing an “enemies list” from his book and his pledges to clean out the federal bureaucracy of disruptive and disloyal elements. But despite this whining and Democrats initial complaints, Patel still looks to have a path to confirmation.
A source close to Patel previously told the Daily Caller that his commitment to advancing the MAGA agenda drove him to continue cultivating relationships with Senate Republicans even while Trump was out of office. That singular focus has appeared likely to pay off in his confirmation hearing.
“I was aware of Kash Patel by reputation during the Trump administration, but really got to know him over the last couple of years. We’d often chat when he would swing through town. I found he had keen political instincts and was also just a delightful person to talk and strategize with,” Utah Sen. Mike Lee told the Caller.
“Long before his name was on the shortlist to lead the FBI, I knew he was a dedicated patriot who has experienced firsthand the corrupt bureaucracy we’re going to hold accountable in Trump’s second term,” the senator added.
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