A 2023 podcast interview that Donald Trump made with fellow Trump supporter Steve Bannon has gone viral as he named Kash Patel as his choice to lead the FBI.
Patel stated in the recording from the previous year how he would deal with reporters if he were elected.
At that time, Patel declared, “We’re going to go after the media people who lied about Americans and helped Joe Biden rig presidential elections.”We’ll determine whether it’s criminal or civil.
Whether Patel will actually target journalists is a question that is bothering both sides of the aisle now that he is in the running to lead one of the most powerful agencies in the U.S. government. If he is confirmed by the Senate, this issue is likely to become a major point of contention, with one senator calling his comments disgusting. According to a Trump associate who has spoken with Patel, he has quietly acknowledged that he needs to retract the comment in public.
Patel dismissed the idea that he was determined to target reporters in a brief interview with NBC News in February, even praising them for their vital contributions. He seemed to feel that his statements had been exaggerated, and he backed up a little from his tough talk with Bannon, saying that he had intended for his threat to only apply to those who had broken the law.
Patel told NBC News at the time, “I appreciate you letting me talk about it, and I would love for you to go back and get the entire quote.” The entire quote pretty much says it all. Three words from two sentences were extracted. However, I essentially stated that if someone violated the law, we would pursue them both criminally and civilly using the Constitution and the legal system.
He underlined that the threshold was breaking the law and charged that some members of the media were working with the government to spread a misleading story about Trump.
When Patel remarked, “I have a problem with that,” Additionally, I believe that accountability for it need to exist in some way. I have no idea how that appears.
He continued by praising journalists.
As I have always stated, I believe that reporters are really valuable. I mean, who else is going to report on what’s happening in Washington or anywhere else? “I said.”
However, those remarks are unlikely to allay the fears of many who see Patel as a living example of Trump’s promise to exact revenge on his adversaries after he is office. Critics worry that Patel’s fervent devotion to Trump and his propensity for believing in conspiracies, such as the unfounded claim that the deep state tried to topple Trump, would affect his behavior at the FBI. Both Democrats and Republicans argue that they want to keep him out of the law enforcement agency, and they cite his strong involvement in the MAGA movement as proof of his political inclinations and objectives.
Trump’s selection of Patel goes against the 10-year time limit for FBI directors that was put in place after Watergate. Making sure the FBI is perceived as not supporting a particular president’s political agenda is the aim of a long term. Christopher Wray, the current director of the FBI, is expected to leave in 2027.
This year, Patel stated that he would close the bureau’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., and reopen it the following day as a museum of the deep state in an interview on a YouTube program hosted by former Navy SEAL Shawn Ryan.
“I fully expect the Trump administration to take a confrontational approach with the media,” said Angelo Carusone, head of the left-leaning journalism watchdog group Media Matters for America, warning that it might have a chilling impact on reporting.
According to Carusone, he will answer not only to Trump’s statements but also to the demands and calls of the broader right-wing media ecosystem. The blood desire that exists shouldn’t be disregarded. People desire retribution.
When asked about Patel’s plans for journalists, a Trump transition spokeswoman stated that the nominee will receive training on conventional FBI values.
In a statement, spokesperson Alex Pfeiffer stated that Kash Patel will fulfill President Trump’s directive to restore the FBI’s credibility and return it to its primary purpose of safeguarding the American people. Unlike Joe Biden, who used the DOJ as a weapon to harass journalists, Kash is dedicated to protecting Americans’ First Amendment rights.
In order to get search warrants for James O’Keefe’s notes and cellphone as part of an investigation into the theft of Biden’s daughter’s journal, the FBI raided the house of conservative provocateur James O’Keefe, the founder of the now-defunct Project Veritas, during the Biden administration. (O’Keefe was never charged in the investigation that led to someone else’s conviction.) When it comes to press freedom, then-President Barack Obama had a bad reputation. He targeted journalists and their work in an effort to expose government officials who were disclosing information about national security. Additionally, Trump has a long history of antagonistic interactions with the press media, frequently calling it “the enemy of the people.”
Now, some on the right are upset about Patel’s previous comments to Bannon.
Former Senate GOP senior counsel for nominations and a bitter Trump ally, Mike Davis, said he has spoken with Patel and acknowledges the need to clarify some of his remarks regarding the use of law enforcement authority against the media.
Comparing Patel’s comments to his own, he stated that some of them shouldn’t be taken too literally.
Davis, who leads the conservative organization Article III Project and unofficially counsels several Trump nominees, said, “Kash and I use hyperbole to force people to pay attention to our broader point: politicizing and weaponizing intel agencies and law enforcement is very destructive to our republic.” The FBI needs to get back to its primary goal of defending citizens against criminal activity.
During a confirmation hearing, some Republican senators on the Judiciary Committee, which is in charge of the FBI and its nominees, would grill Patel for his comments.
Senior panel member Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, stated that he intends to urge Patel to “clarify” some of his previous statements, such as those on the use of law enforcement authority against members of the media.
Cornyn told NBC News, “I’m not sure how much of it was serious and how much was rhetorical.”
Patel’s remarks raise serious concerns for the Democrats on the Judiciary Committee.
Sen. Peter Welch, a Democrat from Vermont, stated on Tuesday that it must be prohibited. Public safety and the protection of the American people must be the top priorities for the prosecutor, FBI, or [attorney general]’s incredible power. not bringing charges against or harassing members of the press, political rivals, or anyone you simply dislike.”
That’s a worry I think all senators share. “And Patel needs to deal with that,” he added. He has made it clear that he intends to use the position to further political activism. He, not I, said those things.
Sen. Mazie Hirono, a Democrat from Hawaii, stated that she has not yet made a decision regarding Patel’s candidacy, even if he were to go before the committee. However, she contended that before proceeding, he and the other Trump appointees have to undergo an FBI background investigation.
Hirono deadpanned when questioned about Patel’s previous statements about targeting the media, saying, “That falls under the category of misuse of power.”
Former prosecutor and Judiciary Committee member Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., stated that Patel’s remarks are completely disqualifying and mind-blowing for someone who could lead the FBI.
As a former prosecutor and U.S. attorney in the Department of Justice, I am aware that a person’s life is not doomed by their conviction alone. It’s the inquiry. “It can be financially and personally devastating for your neighbors and coworkers to know that the FBI is looking into you and that the FBI chief says you committed a crime,” he said.
It might not be sufficient for senators like Blumenthal to retract those statements.
I’m not sure how you can take those nasty, disgusting remarks down. The senator stated, “I would say that anyone who talks like that is disqualified.” I’m not sure how someone with those remarks can be a legitimate FBI director.
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