Durbin seeks information from Patel personnel files at national security agencies
by Rebecca Beitsch 01/16/25 04:05 PM ET
Sen. Dick Durbin (Ill.), the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, asked a suite of agencies that previously employed Kash Patel to turn over information on possible misconduct of President-elect Trump’s controversial pick to lead the FBI.
The letters lay out a series of allegations, including that Patel pushed to stop transition coordination with the incoming Biden administration, sought to declassify information that would be favorable to Trump, and was identified as a helpful figure for the man leading Trump’s efforts to thwart the transfer of power after losing the 2020 election.
“The Director must be able to execute the FBI’s mission in a nonpartisan, impartial manner that is above reproach. The credible allegations against Mr. Patel outlined above are deeply troubling, and the Committee is unable to properly consider his nomination without more information on his underlying conduct,” Durbin wrote in letters to the Justice Department, Department of Defense, and Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI).
Collectively, the letters pull together years of reporting on controversies trailing Patel.
One letter points to reporting from Bloomberg showing that Patel coordinated efforts with officials at the White House and Department of Justice, as well as Republican lawmakers, to declassify documents he saw as being favorable to Trump.
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https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/5090090-dick-durbin-kash-patel-personnel-files-national-secrity-agencies/amp/
