On the recordFebruary 20, 2025
Mr. President, I rise to strongly oppose the confirmation of Kash Patel to serve as the next Director of the FBI. The FBI Director leads our Nation's most important law enforcement Agency. It is made up of more than 38,000 nonpartisan public servants who work every day to take on violent crime, get fentanyl off of our streets, investigate cyber crimes, protect our national security, and so much more. The Bureau's motto is ``fidelity, bravery, integrity,'' and its Director must be someone who embodies those core values above all else. That is not Kash Patel. Let's start with fidelity. The FBI Director's loyalty is not to the President; it is to the truth, the Constitution, and the American people. But Mr. Patel has made it clear that his only loyalty is to the President. Mr. Patel has threatened to come after the President's critics. On one podcast in December of 2023--by the way, that is 2023, just a few years ago, not two decades ago, not when he is in high school--in 2023, he said, ``We're going to come after you, whether it's criminally or civilly. We'll figure that out. But yeah, we're putting you . . . on notice.'' On another podcast last August, he said, ``When Trump wins in 2024, and is in power in 2025, we can prosecute them,'' referring to Justice Department officials. That was just last August. At his hearing before the Judiciary Committee, we gave Mr. Patel numerous opportunities to explain, to walk back his threats.…





