Senator seeks watchdog inquiry into Kash Patel, alleges behind-the-scenes role in purge at FBI

WASHINGTON (AP) — A top Democratic senator has asked the Justice Department's inspector general to investigate after he says he received information that President Donald Trump's pick to lead the FBI, Kash Patel, had been “personally directing the ongoing purge” of agents at the bureau.

The letter Tuesday from Sen. Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, asserts that Patel may have misled the panel at his confirmation hearing last month when he said in response to a question that he was not aware of any plans inside the FBI to punish or fire any agents.

The hearing took place just hours before news broke that a group of senior FBI executives had been told either to resign or be fired, and one day before it was revealed that the Justice Department had demanded a list of thousands of agents who worked on investigations related to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, a move some bureau employees fear could be a precursor to more expansive firings.

“It is unacceptable for a nominee with no current role in government, much less at the FBI, to personally direct unjustified and potentially illegal adverse employment actions against senior career FBI leadership and other dedicated, nonpartisan law enforcement officers,” Durbin wrote. “If these allegations are true, Mr. Patel may have perjured himself before the Senate Judiciary Committee.”

Durbin's letter to Inspector General Michael Horowitz points to what he describes as “highly credible information from multiple sources” that he says shows Patel's involvement in that process. That includes contemporaneous notes from a Jan. 29 meeting between FBI and Justice Department leaders that say “KP wants movement at FBI, reciprocal actions for DOJ," Durbin wrote.

The senator also contends that he's learned from unidentified sources that Patel, despite not being confirmed yet as director, is receiving information about FBI operations from a member of a newly established advisory team inside the bureau and that he passes along that information to top White House official Stephen Miller.

Durbin says he's been told that a senior Justice Department official told others that Miller had been pressuring the Justice Department “because Mr. Patel wanted the FBI to remove targeted employees faster, as DOJ had already done with prosecutors.”

Erica Knight, a spokeswoman for Patel, who is set for a vote Thursday before the Senate Judiciary Committee, described the claims in the letter as “second-hand gossip” meant “to push a false narrative.”

“Patel is a highly qualified national security expert who has been fully transparent with the American people throughout this process and has demonstrated the integrity and leadership needed for this role. The Senate should confirm him without delay,” she said.