Kash Patel Fired Trump's Investigators and Called It De-Weaponizing

Kash Patel runs the FBI. He spent five hours in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee defending taxpayer-funded travel, luxury cars, and the firing of agents who had investigated Donald Trump. [S4]

PROOF

Sen. Chuck Grassley, a Republican, sought information in May about Patel's use of a government plane, luxury cars, and other resources, according to the top Democrats on the House and Senate Judiciary committees. [S1]

Patel told Grassley in a July letter that he has reimbursed personal travel expenses and said the luxury cars were cheaper than others the FBI has previously bought. [S1]

Media reports described Patel scuba diving at a Pearl Harbor memorial and drinking beer while celebrating with the gold medal-winning US men's hockey team at the Milan Winter Olympics. [S1]

Democrats on the committee also pushed Patel on using taxpayer money for a VIP snorkeling tour of Pearl Harbor. [S4]

Patel appeared to confirm media reports that a dozen FBI Iran experts were fired this year because of their alleged "weaponization" efforts, namely that they were part of the investigation into Trump's alleged retention of classified documents. [S2]

Joe DiGenova, who had been leading a Justice Department investigation that sought to show that Trump was the victim of a criminal conspiracy, abruptly resigned before Patel's hearing. [S1]

Patel refused to pledge that he would not interfere in the midterm elections and told the committee, "I pledge unequivocally that I will not participate in your charade of lies." [S2]

PUBLIC OPINION

Sen. Cory Booker called Patel a "thug" who targets reporters and their families when they write stories critical of him and the Trump administration and who investigated a journalist after writing a story on his girlfriend. [S4]

Booker also said Patel is "like an 18-year-old kid who wants to join a fraternity that he could never be a member of doing keg stands and chugging with friends." [S4]

Sen. John Kennedy told Patel, about the aide who recommended dropping bestiality as an automatic hiring disqualifier, "The person who recommended it, why didn't you just say, 'What planet did you parachute in from?'" [S4]

BULLSHIT DEFENSE

Patel says the travel is covered. He "has reimbursed personal travel expenses" and the luxury cars were "cheaper than others the FBI has previously bought." [S1] That does not explain why the government fronted a director's personal trips in the first place, or why an FBI motor pool needs luxury cars at all.

On the Iran team firings, his defense was: "I think what's most important is to not have a weaponized FBI. I will endeavor every single day to make sure we have no one there that is doing that." [S2] He fired the agents who had investigated Trump and called that de-weaponizing the bureau.

Asked directly whether the FBI went after a reporter for writing about him, Patel gave no denial. He attacked the senator who asked the question instead. [S2]

He runs the one federal agency that is supposed to answer to nobody's politics. Five hours of testimony, and he never once said it doesn't.