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Senate Republicans are joining President Donald Trump in backing up FBI Director Kash Patel, who’s absorbed plenty of criticism of his handling of the bureau over the past week.
Patel is set to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday as the FBI continues its investigation into the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Patel took heat on the right, and from some of his former colleagues in law enforcement, for errantly posting on social media that the bureau had a “subject” in custody.
Instead of further scrutinizing the FBI director, though, Republicans are more likely to back him. Some even see the recent disapproval as a coordinated effort to oust Patel.
“I don’t know who’s got the long knives out after him, but I thought: He’s doing fine. It looked like they had a suspect, but it didn’t prove to be the case, but they got their man in I think about 30 hours,” Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, told Semafor. “I still have confidence in him. I think he’s done a good job.”
It’s a key moment for Patel and Senate Republicans, some of whom preferred former Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., to become FBI director. But Trump chose Patel, a longtime loyalist, and the Senate narrowly confirmed him earlier this year despite questions about whether he was too partisan for the role.
Tensions inside the administration were high in the wake of Kirk’s assassination, and Patel’s early post and walkback regarding a “subject” in the case frustrated plenty of Trump loyalists. Fox News detailed on Sunday the internal sniping Patel faced over the Kirk case, with one source alleging the administration lost confidence in the FBI director. The White House disputed that characterization, and Trump has firmly backed Patel.
Still, after Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced pointed questions earlier this month about his views on vaccines from GOP senators, Patel’s appearance is a barometer for Republicans’ view of the FBI director. Heading in, Republicans don’t seem eager to echo the antagonism from the right.
“What I’ve read about that is it’s focused on two incidents where they caught a perpetrator and it didn’t turn out to be. It seems to me like those could have been legitimate mistakes,” said Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, of Patel’s social media posts about the Kirk case.
He said he plans to release documents and ask about the “past weaponization” of the FBI on Tuesday.
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The alleged killer was arrested just before the weekend, and Patel met with Trump (in part for a round of golf) on Saturday in Bedminster. For Trump, the capture of the suspect is what matters most, according to sources who spoke with Semafor.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said he will ask for updates on the Kirk investigation, including questions about “broader systemic issues” about political violence and where the case stands as of Tuesday. He also praised former Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, now a top FBI official as of Monday — though Hawley said he “can’t speak” to the idea that Bailey could replace Patel, as floated in the Fox report.
Patel allies anticipate he’ll face questions about the Kirk investigation.
“His goal in this entire investigation has been to be as transparent as possible and bring facts to the American people,” one Patel ally told Semafor.
The two Republicans who opposed Patel don’t serve on the Judiciary Committee, which could lead to more friendly questioning than Kennedy faced from Republicans. Still, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said he expected the “botched announcements and reports related to the Kirk assassination” to come up.
“I don’t have any problems. I think he was trying to be transparent and tell the American people what’s going on. In a situation like that, sometimes the facts change,” Sen. John Kennedy R-La., said.
As for the bureau’s handling of Kirk’s killing, Kennedy said: “I don’t know about my side, but I’m sure my Democratic colleagues will offer a lot of questions.”