Kash Patel, Donald Trump’s pick to lead the FBI, has suggested that multiple individuals previously critical of the president-elect should be criminally investigated, according to a review by The Washington Post of dozens of hours of appearances on conservative podcasts and TV interviews over the past two years. If Patel uses the perch of FBI director to pursue Trump’s enemies, it would be a significant shift in bureau policy.
In the remarks, made before his selection to be FBI director, Patel floated criminal probes of lawmakers and witnesses who gave evidence to the Jan. 6 select committee, accusing them of providing false testimony and of destroying evidence. Those include former Trump aide Cassidy Hutchinson and police officers who testified about defending the Capitol during the Jan. 6 attack. Patel himself testified to the committee in 2021 after being subpoenaed.
The Post has found no evidence of false testimony or evidence destruction, and the chairman of the committee, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-Mississippi), has denied that the committee destroyed evidence. But Patel has continued to make accusations along those lines….
“Members of Congress can’t hide behind the speech and debate clause for committing felonies when it comes to destroying and suppressing evidence to law enforcement agencies,” Patel said in March on “The Joe Pags Show,” a conservative news radio show. “ … they said the Jan. 6 committee is legit. Okay. If you’re legit, then you’re subjected to the federal statutes. And let’s see who broke the law.”…