Sen. Adam Schiff says New Orleans attack shows Kash Patel should not lead FBI

Sen. Adam Schiff, Democrat of California, said Sunday that the New Year’s Eve attack in New Orleans shows that Kash Patel “should not be confirmed” as President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to lead the FBI.

Schiff told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” that the terrorist attack “underscores” why it is important to have an FBI director “who has experience, who has judgment, who has character, who will give the priority to defending the country against the violence we saw in New York.” Orléans or the violence of January 6.

Schiff added that the Senate should not confirm “someone whose top priority is political vendettas, who believes in deep state conspiracy thinking, not someone who is as unqualified as Kash Patel.”

A spokesperson for Trump’s transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Schiff’s remarks.

Patel, a longtime Trump loyalist, has previously been criticized for spreading the lie that the 2020 presidential election was “stolen” from Trump. He has also previously spread baseless conspiracy theories that “deep state” officials are working to overthrow Trump.

After Trump announced in December that he would nominate Patel to head the FBI, comments Patel made in 2023 to another Trump ally resurfaced. In a podcast recorded with Steve Bannon, Patel vowed that Trump would “go after” journalists, lawyers and judges who he said did not treat Trump fairly.

“We will follow the facts and the law, go to the courts and correct these judges and lawyers who are pursuing these cases on political grounds,” Patel said.

“We’re going to go after the conspirators, not just in government but in the media – yes, we’re going to go after the people in the media who lied about American citizens helping Joe Biden rig the presidential election,” he added.

In an interview Friday with “Meet the Press,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said he believes Patel will prioritize the FBI’s mission and rebuilding trust in the institution if he was confirmed.

“The FBI is an agency that, in my opinion, needs to be reformed and given a makeover, so to speak. … I think trust (in the FBI) ​​is largely eroded, and there is an opportunity to address that,” Thune told moderator Kristen Welker.

“I sat down and met him. I think he understands that this is his mission, and if he is successful in the nomination process, I hope he takes that responsibility very seriously and focuses on what he can do to ensure that the FBI operates in a way that protects the American people and also be accountable,” added Thune.

When asked if he planned to support Patel when the full Senate votes on his confirmation, Thune declined to share his position.

“I have not yet announced or disclosed my positions on individual candidates, but I — my job is to make sure they get a fair process,” he said.