Senate Democrat: Kash Patel 'may have committed perjury' denying link to FBI purge
WASHINGTON – A key Senate Democrat said Tuesday that President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the FBI, Kash Patel, “may have committed perjury” in testifying he didn’t know about the purge of top officials at the bureau.
Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, said he hoped the information would dissuade Republicans from voting to confirm Patel in a vote scheduled for Thursday.
“I hope that what I reveal today from credible whistleblowers at the highest levels will give my Republican colleagues some pause before it’s too late,” Durbin said on the Senate floor. “If these allegations are true, then Mr. Patel may have committed perjury before the Senate Judiciary Committee.”
Erica Knight, a Patel spokesperson, called Durbin's claims "second-hand gossip" on social media. She urged senators to confirm him.
"Kash Patel is a highly qualified national security expert who has been fully transparent with the American people throughout this process," Knight said.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, a senior member of the Judiciary Committee, has defended Patel's nomination and argued he is what the agency needs while “public trust in the FBI is low.”
“These latest allegations r nothing more than hearsay & dont hold a candle to Patel's character+ credibility which over half a million law enforcement officers hv vouched for,” Grassley said on social media.
An FBI spokesperson declined to comment. Spokespeople for the White House and Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Durbin’s accusation focused on the dismissal of top FBI officials in late January, as part of Trump naming appointees as part of his new administration. Patel had stated previously he wanted to overhaul the FBI, through steps such as closing the agency’s headquarters in downtown Washington, D.C., and spreading more staffers nationwide.
Acting FBI Director Brian Driscoll and Acting FBI Deputy Director Robert Kissane scheduled a meeting Jan. 29 to announce that a group of executive assistant directors and other supervisors must resign or be fired, Durbin said.
Contemporaneous notes from a whistleblower at the meeting said “KP wants movement at FBI, reciprocal actions for DOJ,” Durbin said, referring to the Justice Department.
Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove told meeting attendees that he received multiple calls from Stephen Miller, a White House deputy chief of staff, the night before, Durbin said. Miller was pressuring him because Patel wanted the FBI to remove targeted employees faster, as DOJ had already done with prosecutors, Durbin said.
During Patel’s Senate confirmation hearing on Jan. 30, Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., asked the FBI director nominee if he was aware of plans to punish or terminate FBI personnel associated with investigations of Trump.
Trump had faced two federal criminal cases – one accusing him of conspiring to steal the 2020 election and another accusing him of mishandling classified documents. But the Justice Department dropped the charges after Trump won the election under longstanding policy against prosecuting sitting presidents.
Patel replied to Booker that he was “not aware of” of plans to punish FBI officials.
“I don’t know what’s going on right now over there, but I’m committed to you, senator, and your colleagues that I will honor the internal review process of the FBI,” Patel said.
Durbin called for an urgent investigation of Patel's involvement in the removal of FBI officials. "This alleged misconduct is beyond the pale and must be investigated immediately," the Illinois senator wrote in a letter to the inspector general.
Durbin said the FBI needs a director who is not focused on settling political scores.
“He has left behind a trail of grievances throughout his life, lashing out at anyone who dares to disagree with him or fails to respect him sufficiently,” Durbin said. “And now these credible allegations that he has personally orchestrated a purge of senior FBI law enforcement officials.”