Kash Patel took a more measured tone at his confirmation hearing Thursday than the pro-MAGA bravado he displayed on social media and as a frequent guest on conservative shows in recent years, as he sought to lock in Republican support for his bid to lead the FBI.
Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee spent large portions of the hearing needling him with questions about his history of controversial statements on podcasts, in speeches and online, but Patel parried those inquiries throughout the hourslong hearing.
Patel often said the comments had been taken out of context or were only fragments of the full picture. Among them were a pitch to shut down the FBI’s Washington headquarters and turn it into a museum of the “deep state,” and his past comments about people arrested for their role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.
