Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday accused Kash Patel, the nominee to head the FBI, of committing perjury during his confirmation hearings before Congress by allegedly lying under oath when he testified that he was not aware of plans to punish FBI agents or personnel.
In a thread on X, the committee's Democrats alleged that leadership from the FBI and the Department of Justice met and said that Patel "wants movement at FBI, reciprocal actions for DOJ."
"It fits into a pattern of behavior that shows Kash Patel is not fit to be entrusted with government authority," the committee posted.
The accusations come as the Judiciary Committee is to vote Thursday on whether Patel's nomination should be sent to the Senate floor for confirmation.
The social media thread followed reports that Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, had sent a letter to independent Inspector General Michael Horowitz accusing Patel of directing firings at the FBI before he was confirmed as its director, reported The New York Times.
He cited "highly credible information from multiple sources" suggesting that Patel was involved in orchestrating the firings of FBI career officials while he was still a private citizen.
"This alleged misconduct is beyond the pale and must be investigated immediately," Durbin wrote in his letter, obtained by the Times.
Durbin said if the allegations are true, acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove fired FBI agents "solely at the behest of a private citizen" and added that Patel "may have perjured himself" at his confirmation hearing.
Durbin, in comments on the Senate floor after the letter was revealed, urged Republicans backing Patel's nomination to reconsider.
"If this man is so fast and loose with the truth before our committee now, imagine what he will do if given the protection of office," he said. "We need to pause in this consideration."
The meeting, the committee Democrats said on their social media thread, took place the day before Patel's confirmation hearing before the Judiciary Committee.
"At that same meeting, Emil Bove — the acting deputy attorney general — said that he'd received multiple phone calls the night before from Stephen Miller, [President Donald] Trump's Deputy Chief of Staff, and that at Patel's request, Miller allegedly pressured the acting deputy attorney general to remove targeted FBI officials more quickly," the social media post said.
"According to whistleblower accounts, a group of political appointees personally interviewed by Kash Patel had a list of officials identified for termination," the committee's Democrats said, then reporting that Patel testified under oath that he was "not aware of" plans to punish FBI agents or personnel.
"It is unacceptable for a nominee with no legal or current role in government to personally direct the unjustified and potentially illegal firings of dedicated, nonpartisan FBI officials," the committee's Democrats said. "If these allegations are true, then Mr. Patel may have committed perjury before the Senate Judiciary Committee."
The White House has not issued a comment about the allegations.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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