A Democratic member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Alex Padilla from California, has voiced his strong opposition to President-elect Trump’s selection of Kash Patel to lead the FBI, deeming it as “offensive” as Trump’s previous choice of former Rep. Matt Gaetz to run the Justice Department.
During an interview on “Inside with Jen Psaki,” Padilla stated his intention to vote against Patel and expressed his hope that Patel would withdraw his nomination, similar to Gaetz’s decision last month.
Senator Padilla firmly opposes Kash Patel’s controversial FBI nomination
Padilla remarked, “The fact that he’s a conspiracy theorist is just the beginning of this process. You know, there’s still time for Donald Trump or the team around him to come to true senses, just as they did with Matt Gaetz,” while speaking with MSNBC’s Jen Psaki.
While serving in the Trump administration’s Defense Department in 2020, Patel actively promoted unsubstantiated allegations of a stolen presidential election. His persistent claims led Pentagon superiors to caution him against crossing the boundary between politics and military matters.
Despite assurances from former Attorney General William Barr that the Justice Department found no evidence to support claims of widespread election fraud, Patel continued to advocate for Trump’s stolen election narrative in the subsequent years.
Patel has expressed intentions to close the FBI’s Washington headquarters and remove its senior leadership, proposing that authority be shifted to FBI offices located throughout the country.
For Padilla, these views represent a red flag. “I know how I’m going to vote for someone who believes in conspiracy theories, denies the results of the 2020 election, and then says, ‘I’m going to run the FBI by shutting down FBI headquarters.’ Are you kidding me?” he stated.
The fate of Patel’s nomination will rest with Senate Republicans, rather than Democrats. So far, GOP senators have responded to the nomination with lukewarm enthusiasm, with some expressing support while others suggest Patel must address concerns regarding his qualifications and relevant experience to lead the nation’s top law enforcement agency.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), a Judiciary Committee member, noted, “I think those are all just things that Mr. Patel needs to be ready to come up with a good answer when he starts visiting with people on Capitol Hill.”
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who is set to chair the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2025, shared on X that “Kash Patel must prove to Congress he will reform & restore public trust in [the] FBI.”
