Palmetto State News

U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham from South Carolina engaged in a series of questions with Kash Patel, President Donald Trump's nominee for Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), during his Senate Judiciary Committee nomination hearing.

Senator Graham expressed concerns about the politicization of the FBI, stating, "The reason you’re here is because most of the public, almost every Republican, believes that the FBI has been used continuously in a political fashion, ignoring evidence, making up evidence, lying to get Donald Trump." He specifically referenced issues such as the handling of Hunter Biden's laptop and asked Patel if he could assure that such practices would end. Patel responded affirmatively: "Yes Senator, they are."

The discussion also touched upon past controversies within the FBI. Graham cited communications between former FBI agents Lisa Page and Peter Strzok regarding then-President Trump. He questioned whether those sentiments influenced investigations like Crossfire Hurricane. Patel commented on these events by saying, "Well you don’t have to take my word for it," and assured that if such biases were still present in the FBI, they would be addressed: "Well if they’re not, they will be."

Graham described Crossfire Hurricane as a significant blemish on the FBI's history and questioned Patel about its impact on his nomination. Patel acknowledged this influence by stating it was a substantial reason for his presence at the hearing.

The hearing also delved into personal attacks against Patel's character by Democrats. When asked by Graham about experiencing racism personally, Patel recounted threats he received following testimony related to January 6th events. He shared that due to his personal information being released by Congress, he faced direct threats on his life and was forced to relocate. Despite these experiences, Patel emphasized his support for law enforcement professionals who face similar challenges daily.