Kash Patel flips script on Dem senator after being grilled on J6 pardons: 'Brutal reality check'

Kash Patel, President Trump’s nominee to pb the Federal Bureau of Investigation, pushed backmost successful his confirmation proceeding aft helium was grilled connected the president’s pardoning of January 6 rioters.

"So bash you deliberation that America is safer due to the fact that the 1600 radical person been fixed an accidental to travel retired of serving their sentences and unrecorded successful our communities again?" Dem. Sen. Dick Durbin asked Patel successful Thursday’s hearing, pressing him connected January 6 rioters who assaulted constabulary officers having their sentences commuted earlier this month.

Patel responded with a notation to Biden’s determination successful the last hours of his presidency to free Leonard Peltier, a far-left activistic convicted successful the 1975 murders of 2 FBI peculiar agents, Ronald Williams and Jack Coler, who were gunned down successful a shootout successful South Dakota.

"Senator, I person not looked astatine each 1600 idiosyncratic cases," Patel said.

DOZENS OF FORMER FBI AGENTS RALLY AROUND KASH PATEL'S CONFIRMATION: 'LIVES HAVE BEEN SHATTERED'

Dem Sen. Dick Durbin (Left) and FBI Director nominee Kash Patel (Right) (AP/Reuters)

"I person ever advocated for imprisoning those that origin harm to our instrumentality enforcement and civilian communities. I besides judge America is not safer due to the fact that President Biden's commutation of a antheral who murdered 2 FBI agents. Agent Coler and Williams household merit amended than to person the antheral that constituent blank scope fired a shotgun into their heads and murdered them, released from prison. So it goes some ways."

Durbin responded by downplaying the examination betwixt Peltier and January 6 rioters.

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Committee president Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., speaks during a proceeding of the Senate Committee connected the Judiciary connected Capitol Hill, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024, successful Washington.  (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

"Leonard Peltier was successful situation for 45 years," Durbin responded. "He's 80 years old, and helium was sentenced to location confinement. So he's not free. As you mightiness person conscionable suggested. He killed 2 FBI agents. That helium did, and helium went to situation for it and should have. My question to you, though, is, bash you deliberation America's safer due to the fact that President Trump issued these pardons to 1600 of these transgression defendants, galore of whom violently assaulted our constabulary successful capital?"

Patel responded, "Senator, America volition beryllium harmless erstwhile we don't person 200,000 cause overdoses successful 2 years, America volition beryllium harmless erstwhile we don't person 50 homicides a day."

Kash Patel, a erstwhile main of unit to then-acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller, speaks during a run lawsuit for Republican predetermination candidates (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Conservatives and supporters of Patel connected societal media praised Patel for his response.

"Brutal world check," governmental commentator and Confirm 47 enforcement manager Camryn Kinsey posted connected X.

In his opening remarks, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley said, "Public spot successful the FBI is low."

"Only 41% of the American nationalist thinks the FBI is doing a bully job. This is the lowest standing successful a century," helium continued.

Grassley touted Patel's acquisition arsenic a nationalist defender and astatine the Justice Department, arsenic good arsenic his engagement successful the House Permanent Select Committee connected Intelligence successful 2017 to analyse the origins of the Trump-Russia probe.

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Patel has "managed ample quality and defence bureaucracies, identified and countered nationalist information threats, prosecuted and defended criminals," Grassley said. "He has done this portion warring for transparency and accountability successful the government," giving him "precisely the qualifications we request astatine this time" to caput up the bureau.

Patel's nomination 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."

Fox News Digital's Breanne Deppisch contributed to this report