Kash Patel confirmation hearing opening statement

Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s nominee for FBI director, made his opening statement Thursday in a confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

A loyal Trump supporter, Patel is a former public defender turned Justice Department prosecutor. He served in Trump’s first term as chief of staff to acting defense secretary Christopher Miller. In interviews, he has said he wants to reduce the size of the national intelligence community, and shut down the FBI’s headquarters in Washington. He’s also repeated the false narrative that Trump won the 2020 election.