At Kash Patel’s confirmation hearing, he promised to protect agents from political payback.
Pressed by Senator Richard Blumenthal, Patel doubled down that they wouldn’t target agents who went after President Trump.
He even cast doubt on President Trump’s Capitol riot pardons.
But I think Patel was just keeping his cards close to his chest. Do I think he really disagrees with Trump? No way.
Patel vowed fact-based investigations and zero politics.
Remember, he might need some bipartisan support.
“No retribution,” Patel said.
But it will probably look like retribution when justice is served.
Reuters reports:
Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s nominee for FBI director, vowed on Thursday to protect FBI employees against “political retribution” even as the Trump administration has begun to fire and sideline Justice Department officials who were involved in investigations into the president.
Pressed by Democratic U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal to commit not to fire FBI agents who worked on investigations into Trump’s mishandling of classified documents and attempts to overturn the 2020 election, Patel said “all FBI employees will be protected against political retribution.”
The acting attorney general, who oversees the FBI, on Monday fired more than a dozen lawyers who worked on the Trump cases, citing