Thune: Kash Patel Will Restore the Integrity of the FBI, Keep Americans Safe
“[T]he next director of the FBI needs to focus on rooting out politics, so the FBI can enforce the law, uphold the Constitution, and keep Americans safe.”
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WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor:
Thune’s remarks below (as delivered):
“Mr. President, it’s been one month since President Trump took the oath of office.
“Since January 20, the Senate has been hard at work confirming the president’s Cabinet nominees – 18 confirmed so far.
“President Trump has more of his team in place today than any president has had at this point since 2001.
“And we’ve done this despite obstruction by Democrats.
“Every nominee has received a fair process, as promised.
“And the Senate will continue to keep its foot on the gas until President Trump’s Cabinet table is full.
“Mr. President, later today the Senate will vote to confirm Kash Patel to be director of the FBI.
“Mr. Patel will lead the nation’s primary federal law enforcement agency at a critical time.
“We’ve seen a heightened threat of terrorism in the homeland.
“Illegal drugs continue to come across the southern border and take the lives of too many Americans.
“Violent crime spiked in recent years, and it’s still a problem in many parts of the country.
“And at the same time, the FBI has lost the trust of many Americans who fear the agency has become politicized.
“Mr. President, Kash Patel has spent his career working in criminal law and national security.
“He spent his first eight years after law school as a public defender in state and federal courts in Florida.
“In 2014, he was brought on as a terrorism prosecutor at the U.S. Department of Justice – prosecuting terrorist organizations like al-Qaeda and al-Shabab.
“From there, he went to work in national security for the House Intelligence Committee and then in the first Trump administration.
“He worked on the National Security Council, where he handled hostage rescues, among other sensitive missions.
“And he also served as principal deputy for the acting director of national intelligence and later as chief of staff for the acting secretary of defense.
“Mr. President, as I said, the FBI has lost trust among the American people in recent years.
“Much of that… stems from a perception that politics has infected the FBI’s important work.
“And it’s not hard to see why.
“In just the last few years, the FBI field office in Richmond, Virginia, circulated a memo suggesting traditional Catholics could be violent extremists.
“In 2021, the attorney general infamously instructed the FBI to work with local law enforcement to target parents who attended school board meetings.
“And of course there is the FBI’s apparent double standard when it comes to investigating President Trump, and its repeated failures to cooperate with congressional Republicans.
“Mr. President, the next director of the FBI needs to focus on rooting out politics, so the FBI can enforce the law, uphold the Constitution, and keep Americans safe.
“The bureau also needs a renewed focus on empowering the FBI’s field offices to be good partners to local law enforcement.
“I’m encouraged that Mr. Patel has the support of the National Police Association, the National Sheriffs’ Association, and multiple state attorneys general – all of whom will be his partners in law enforcement should Mr. Patel be confirmed.
“We’ve unfortunately seen that no community is immune from crime, terrorism, or illegal drugs.
“And we need all law enforcement working together and focused on the real threats facing our country.
“I look forward to working with Mr. Patel to restore the integrity of the FBI and get it focused on its critical mission.”
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