In a letter to Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz, Senate Minority Whip and Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee Dick Durbin, Democrat of Illinois, accuses FBI pick Kash Patel of perjury.
“Kash Patel has been personally directing the ongoing purge of career civil servants at the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” he wrote in the letter.
Sen. Dick Durbin, Democrat of Illinois
If true, President Donald Trump’s favorite QAnon and Jan. 6 conspiracy theorist would’ve perjured himself under oath—a federal crime with a potential prison sentence of up to 5 years.
According to “highly credible information from multiple sources, Mr. Patel is receiving information from within the FBI from a member of the [director’s advisory team],” Durbin wrote in the letter. “Mr. Patel then provides direction to Mr. [Stephen] Miller, who relays it to Acting Deputy Attorney General [Emil] Bove. Each DAT member had represented to one or more officials at the Bureau at some point before January 30 that they had been in direct contact with Mr. Patel.”
“For example, several members of the DAT relayed that Mr. Patel personally interviewed them for the position,” he continued. “It is unacceptable for a nominee with no current role in government, much less at the FBI, to personally direct unjustified and potentially illegal adverse employment actions against senior career FBI leadership and other dedicated, nonpartisan law enforcement officers.”
As Durbin noted, it would be illegal to direct a federal agency as a “private citizen” with “no current role in government” due to the Senate not having voted on his confirmation.
Durbin's perjury allegation refers back to an interaction between Patel and Sen. Cory Booker, Democrat of New Jersey, during his hearing on Jan. 30.
"Are you aware of any plans or discussions to punish in any way, including termination, FBI agents or personnel associated with Trump investigations? Yes or no?" Booker asked.
“I’m not aware of that, Senator. I don't know what's going on right now over there, but I'm committed to you, Senator, and your colleagues that I will honor the internal review process of the FBI,” Patel responded.
This is the latest in a slew of letters from Democrats citing concerns over Trump’s FBI pick.
On Feb. 3, 10 Senate Democrats—including Durbin—posed “grave concerns” about Patel’s involvement in a dozen FBI and DOJ firings, which targeted people who worked on the Jan. 6 cases against Trump. A day later, 20 Democratic attorneys general cited national security concerns over the same firing spree.
Patel has also said he’d “come after” media that doesn’t bend the knee.
The Senate vote on whether Patel will lead the FBI will take place on Thursday, and if the vote goes along party lines—as it has so far—he will be confirmed.
It’s unclear if Durbin's calls for an investigation into Patel will be ignored. So far, Trump’s cronies have proven that they care little about the U.S. Constitution, court orders, or democratic norms, so it’s not looking promising this time around.
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