Sen. Adam Schiff of California expressed deep concern on Monday over Kash Patel’s expected confirmation as the next FBI director, calling it a devastating blow to the agency.
“It is just a tragedy for the FBI that it comes to this. I can’t imagine the demoralization at the FBI and the Department of Justice. The damage will be long, long-standing,” he said, according to the Sacramento Bee.
Despite Schiff’s opposition, Republicans are backing Patel’s nomination, arguing that the FBI is in dire need of reform after years of alleged political weaponization under President Joe Biden’s administration.
Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, defended Patel, saying, “The Trump administration is cleaning house at the FBI because the FBI is and has been for many years infected with political bias and whistleblower retaliation.”
Schiff and fellow California Democrat Sen. Alex Padilla both serve on the Judiciary Committee, which approved Patel’s nomination in a 12-10 party-line vote. The full Senate is expected to vote on his confirmation next week.
Republicans have long accused the Biden administration’s FBI of engaging in politically motivated investigations, including its focus on Trump and individuals involved in the January 6 Capitol riot. The FBI’s 2022 search of Mar-a-Lago for classified documents also remains a point of contention. Trump was indicted in 2023 over the documents but saw the case dismissed after his re-election last year.
Grassley argued that Patel is the right choice to lead the FBI, stating, “Mr. Patel should be our next FBI director because the FBI has been infected by political bias and weaponized against the American people.”
The Senate is scheduled to vote on Patel’s confirmation on Tuesday.
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Meanwhile, Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee suggested that Schiff’s opposition to Patel is rooted in fear. According to her, Patel has firsthand knowledge of Schiff’s role in advancing the debunked Trump-Russia collusion narrative. Speaking on Fox & Friends, Blackburn stated, “I think, too, they are very fearful of Kash Patel, because Kash Patel knows what Adam Schiff and some of the others did with Russia collusion, and they know that he knows—the dirt on them, if you will—and I think they’re fearful of what he’s going to do and what he’s going to reveal.”
Blackburn also highlighted Patel’s commitment to transparency in Washington, a factor she believes further fuels Democratic opposition to his nomination.
During Senate Judiciary Committee discussions last month, Blackburn reiterated her stance, pointing out that Democrats seemed particularly angered by Patel’s nomination. “As I’ve listened to my Democratic colleagues in their comments this morning, you can hear the anger and the displeasure with having Kash Patel before us. But I think it’s important to realize why Kash Patel is there and why President Trump chose to nominate Kash Patel,” she said.
According to Blackburn, the American people are tired of what she described as a “two-tiered justice system” under Biden’s Department of Justice and FBI. She stated that Patel is committed to returning the agency to its core mission of investigating violent crime and protecting national security.
She recalled a key moment from Patel’s confirmation hearings, where she asked him why Democrats seemed to fear him so much. “And I think the answer is so very apparent,” she said. “They fear him because, yes, indeed, he is out of the box. They fear him because of what he knows about Russia collusion, what he knows about some of the activity that has taken place.”
Blackburn emphasized that Patel’s leadership would mark a shift in the FBI’s priorities, ensuring the agency focuses on crime-fighting rather than political influence. “And they fear him because he is going to return the FBI to its core mission, investigating violent crimes and keeping our nation safe,” she added.
