Graham grills FBI nominee Patel over 'disgusting' and 'corrupt' Crossfire Hurricane probe

Trump FBI manager nominee Kash Patel was grilled Thursday implicit the FBI’s probe into alleged Trump-Russia connections successful the aftermath of the 2016 election, known colloquially by its nickname "Crossfire Hurricane," and which has emerged arsenic thing of a partisan lightning rod successful the years since the probe was closed.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, for his part, utilized astir of his allotted clip Thursday to grill Patel implicit his views connected the investigation, which helium has railed against arsenic politically motivated and a "disgusting" usage of FBI resources.

Patel was tapped successful 2017 by then-House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes to articulation the House Permanent Select Committee connected Intelligence to analyse the origins of the Trump-Russia probe— an probe that was wide praised by Republicans arsenic helping discredit the FBI's inquest.

"Is it just to accidental that the radical successful complaint of investigating Crossfire Hurricane hated Trump's guts?" Graham asked Patel Thursday during his confirmation hearing.

"Yes, sir," Patel responded.

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Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., waits for the accomplishment of President Joe Biden successful the White House successful Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Graham added: "Do you judge that Crossfire Hurricane was 1 of the astir disgusting episodes successful FBI past of a corrupt probe led by corrupt radical who wanted to instrumentality Donald Trump down?" 

After Patel responded affirmatively, Graham continued to excoriate what helium sees arsenic the politicization of the FBI, which helium claimed is "ignoring evidence, making up evidence, and lying to get Donald Trump."

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President-elect Donald Trump has named longtime state Kashyap "Kash" Patel, who has been a predominant and harsh professional of the FBI, to service arsenic the bureau's adjacent manager successful the caller administration. (Reuters)

"FBI agents were telling anybody and everybody would perceive that [the investigation] is not reliable, this is not trustworthy. But they plowed on," Graham added. 

"That's wherefore you're successful this seat contiguous to hole that," said Graham. "Without Crossfire Hurricane, this feline wouldn't beryllium here."

Patel is simply a adjacent state of the president-elect and served successful the first Trump administration some arsenic a lawman adjunct and arsenic the elder manager for counterterrorism. 

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His information has sparked aboriginal disapproval from immoderate Democrats up of his confirmation hearing, who person cited his erstwhile vows to prosecute journalists and vocation officials astatine the Justice Department and FBI that helium sees arsenic being portion of the "deep state."

He has since attempted to clarify immoderate of those remarks.