Kash Patel hammers ‘grotesque mischaracterizations’ from Dems amid fiery FBI confirmation hearing

Kash Patel, Trump’s nominee to pb the FBI, ripped into "false accusations and grotesque mischaracterizations" from Democrats connected the Senate Judiciary Committee astatine his confirmation proceeding connected Thursday.

Patel, a erstwhile nationalist defender and DOJ official, was grilled by Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who accused Patel of having called for FBI office to beryllium unopen down. That came connected the backmost of a fig of barbs coming from Democrats connected the Committee.

Patel fired backmost with a fiery response.

SPARKS EXPECTED TO FLY AT KASH PATEL'S CONFIRMATION HEARING TO LEAD FBI

Kash Patel, President Donald Trump's prime to beryllium manager of the FBI, appears earlier the Senate Judiciary Committee for his confirmation hearing, astatine the Capitol successful Washington, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025.

"If the champion attacks connected maine are going to beryllium mendacious accusations and grotesque mischaracterizations, the lone happening this assemblage is doing is defeating the credibility of the men and women astatine the FBI," helium said.

"I stood with them present successful this country, successful each theatre of warfare we have. I was connected the crushed successful work of this nation. And immoderate accusations leveled against maine that I would someway enactment governmental bias earlier the Constitution are grotesquely unfair," helium said.

He past pointed to an endorsement by implicit 300,000 instrumentality enforcement officers to beryllium the adjacent caput of the bureau.

"Let's inquire them," helium said.

Democrats had pointed to Patel’s grounds and a book, "Government Gangsters," released successful 2023 that claimed that "deep state" authorities employees person politicized and weaponized the instrumentality enforcement bureau – and explicitly called for the revamp of the FBI successful a section dubbed "Overhauling the FBI."

WHO IS KASH PATEL? TRUMP'S PICK TO LEAD THE FBI HAS LONG HISTORY VOWING TO BUST UP 'DEEP STATE'

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)

"Things are bad. There’s nary denying it," he wrote successful the book. "The FBI has gravely abused its power, threatening not lone the regularisation of law, but the precise foundations of self-government astatine the basal of our democracy. But this isn’t the extremity of the story. Change is imaginable astatine the FBI and desperately needed." 

Patel received praise from Republicans connected the Committee, with Chairman Chuck Grassley arguing helium could assistance reconstruct spot successful the FBI.

"Public spot successful the FBI is low," Grassley said successful his opening remarks. "Only 41% of the American nationalist thinks the FBI is doing a bully job. This is the lowest standing successful a century."

FORMER TRUMP OFFICIALS REJECT WHISTLEBLOWER CLAIM THAT FBI DIRECTOR NOMINEE KASH PATEL BROKE HOSTAGE PROTOCOL

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-RI, however, cited respective Republican figures who person opposed Patel’s nomination, including erstwhile National Security Advisor John Bolton who helium said had claimed was "forced to prosecute him."

"Former CIA manager Gina Haspel was reportedly threatening to resign alternatively than person this nominee service nether her," Whitehouse said.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

"Former Attorney General Bill Barr said this nominee has virtually nary acquisition that would suffice him to service astatine the highest level of the world's preeminent instrumentality enforcement agency, extremity quote."

Patel aboriginal accused Whitehouse of utilizing "partial quotations" successful further criticisms astir alleged intentions to "prosecute journalists" and his alleged ‘enemies list’ – a word Patel said helium does not endorse.

Fox News’ Charles Creitz and Emma Colton contributed to this report.