The Japan Times - Confirmation for Trump's FBI nominee delayed over 'enemies lists'

The right-wing former lawyer has a long history of promoting misinformation about election fraud and public health, and published a list of 60 Trump critics in a recent book that Democrats say put a target on their backs.

His nomination became even more contentious with the eruption of a second "enemies list" controversy this week, as the FBI was forced to identify agents who investigated the 2021 insurrection that led to Trump being impeached and indicted.

The Judiciary Committee was set to advance Patel's nomination to a full vote of the Senate floor but Democrats demanded a second hearing with the nominee, whom they claim withheld information about Trump's FBI revenge plans.

"These actions have political retribution written all over them, and it will get worse if Kash Patel is named FBI director," said Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer as he slammed the FBI list and the nomination.

"The Senate should not rubber-stamp a patently partisan nominee like Kash Patel to lead the FBI... Either Mr. Patel serves the interests of the American people or serves the interests of Donald Trump."

The minority party took advantage of a rule in the Republican-led committee allowing a single delay of a week in any nomination vote.

Democrats accused Patel after the hearing of misleading members by downplaying his involvement in a song recorded by insurrectionists who stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 -- and noted that he reposted a social media video depicting him butchering Trump's critics.

"Setting aside how grotesque that is, the idea that a man with the kind of judgment -- that he thinks it's okay to repost imagery of himself chainsawing his political enemies -- (it) is not appropriate for an FBI director," said Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse.

- 'Innuendo and misinformation' -

Patel is among a number of Trump intelligence and law enforcement nominees who have been assailed over character flaws, their lack of experience and poor judgment in a series of showstopping Senate confirmation hearings.

Patel's committee approval hearing will now likely take place next Thursday, with two Republican "no" votes enough to stop his nomination from making it to the Senate floor with a favorable report.

But Trump has enormous sway over Republicans in Congress and the party's senators have shown little appetite for objecting to the figures picked to staff the Republican leader's national security team.

There were fiery exchanges at Patel's confirmation hearing on January 30 as Democrats brought up a list of 60 supposed "deep state" actors -- all critics of Trump -- he included in a 2022 book, whom he said should be investigated or "otherwise reviled."

Patel has denied that he has an "enemies list" and told the committee he was merely interested in bringing lawbreakers to book.

Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz slammed what he termed "baseless attacks and political theater" targeting Patel as he accused the nominee's critics of having "peddled innuendo and misinformation."

"At the end of the day, what is really striking, is none of them made a serious argument that Kash Patel is not qualified," he told Fox News.

"His experience is extensive and what they are afraid of is that Kash Patel will do exactly what Donald Trump promised."

T.Kobayashi--JT