Sen. Lindsey Graham, a key ally of President-elect Donald Trump on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Sunday that he plans to support Kash Patel, Trump’s pick to lead the FBI who has sparked controversy even among some officials from Trump’s first term.
“I am ready to vote for Kash Patel,” Graham, a South Carolina Republican, said Sunday on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.”
Patel is expected to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee in the coming weeks, though his hearing has yet to be scheduled while Senate Republicans are working to quickly approve Trump’s pick for top posts in his administration. But his selection may be considered among the most contentious.
Patel, 44, served in intelligence and defense roles in Trump’s first term, including chief of staff to then-acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller. The staunch Trump loyalist rose to prominence for his role in fighting the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, and later as key ally of Trump’s as he tried to overturn the 2020 election results.
Former Attorney General William Barr, who worked under the Trump administration, wrote about the possible nomination of Patel for the FBI post in his memoir, saying Patel “has virtually no experience that would qualify him to serve at the highest level of the world’s preeminent law enforcement agency” and that the “idea of moving Patel into a rule like this showed a shocking detachment from reality.”
Graham said he disagreed with Barr’s sentiment, saying he was “wrong then and he’s wrong now.”
“Kash was a public defender. He was a prosecutor,” Graham said. “So I do think he has the experience, he has the trust of the president, and we’ll see how this plays out.
Graham said he takes his advice on Patel from former Rep. Trey Gowdy, a South Carolina Republican who worked with Patel.
“Trey Gowdy is enthusiastically supporting Kash Patel, and that means a lot to me,” Graham said.
Patel, who has been critical of current federal officials, has sparked controversy for including in his book a list known as the “Executive Branch Deep State,” which some have referred to as an enemies list that he could seek to prosecute as FBI director. Barr is on the list, as are Attorney General Merrick Garland and President Biden, among many others.
Graham said Patel will have to answer questions during his confirmation hearing about what’s in the book, but he said that “I believe the hearing will expose him to be a very qualified man of the law.”
FBI director Christopher Wray announced last month that he will resign at the end of the Biden administration, though his term was set to end in 2027. Even prior to Wray’s announcement, Trump had announced his intention to install Patel at the helm of the FBI.
Although Graham wouldn’t commit to backing Patel “no matter what,” he said he is ready to vote for him “because you will never ask me the role he played in exposing the darkest moment of the FBI since J. Edgar Hoover.”
In response, Brennan said Graham should ask Patel about “going after journalists, which he’s also said.” Graham answered “I’m sure our Democratic friends will ask him.”
