On Jan. 30, 2025, President Donald Trump’s pick for administration, Kashyap Patel, had his confirmation hearing for the role of Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) director done by Congress.
To call it a confirmation hearing is rather accurate considering the meeting seemed to just be an exercise in confirmation bias.
Both Republican and Democratic sides had made up their mind before the hearing began and Patel certainly didn’t take accountability for anything he had said or done in the past.
However, this is a particularly interesting case because of what’s on the table: the FBI.
The FBI is a rather notorious government organization. If you know your United States history well, you’ll also remember that the FBI is no stranger to political corruption.
Whoever is to command all of the thousands of workers there has a huge responsibility on their shoulders of maintaining a non-partisan regime.
Since there’s so much at stake, and confidence in Trump’s decision-making is mixed at best, House Democrats were troubled about Patel’s qualification for the role.
Despite his work in the U.S. government, Kash Patel’s track record is deeply concerning.
Unlike some of Trump’s picks, Patel actually has experience with the organization he’s meant to lead. He has participated in counterterrorism operations and has even worked to snuff out an investigation on Trump.
Obviously, this is not the full story. To be on Trump’s list, he had to prove his loyalty in unconventional ways prior to his nomination.
By appealing to Trump, he made a list of his own — an “enemies” list of people he promised to investigate if he becomes director. For an organization that’s meant to be non-partisan, Patel is really keen on doing the opposite.
He was questioned by many House Democrats on this issue, but denied having ever made the list in response.
He also participated in peddling anti-vaccine rhetoric and advocated for the targeting of journalists who disagree with Trump’s policies.
Another common talking point from Democrats was Patel’s involvement with the J6 Choir.
The J6 Choir was a musical group composed of the incarcerated insurrectionists from Jan. 6, including people who pleaded guilty to assaulting police officers.
Patel dodged any accusations of being affiliated with the production of the music — despite the fact that he was — but could not avoid that he promoted them on X. Ultimately, he conceded very little and managed to evade a lot of accusations.
Democratic senator Dick Durbin questioned him repeatedly on this issue, most notably citing remarks Patel made about the Jan. 6 insurrectionists being “political prisoners.”
Kash Patel, once again, denied that he made such a statement.
The Democrats were never going to get him on anything. Since they had already had their minds made up, this was just an opportunity for them to affirm their own predictions that Patel would be evasive and uncooperative.
House Republicans, on the other hand, were smitten with Patel’s claim that he will turn the FBI back into the apolitical organization it’s meant to be.
Republican senator Marsha Blackburn voiced her hopes for Patel to stop the FBI from executing unlawful investigations on Catholic churches, which, surprisingly, actually happened in recent times.
The Democrats were picking Patel apart on specific controversies he’s been involved with, while Republicans ignored it in favor of praising Trump’s puppet.
If that doesn’t show a disconnect with today’s political sphere, very few things will.
Instead of actually looking into the potential liabilities of having Patel as FBI director, the Republicans could not stop licking Trump’s boots and accepting anyone he puts before them.
Kash Patel is not fit to be FBI director. He cannot be trusted with such a burden when his past has revealed his loyalty is solely to President Trump.
His hearing only affirmed that he cannot and will not hold himself accountable for anything.
This is the time we’re living in, one where loyalists hold powerful positions, unable to condemn or disagree with their leader.
These are the people who are to lead this country.
