Attorney General Kris Mayes is demanding the Senate disrupt the confirmation process for President Donald Trump’s FBI director nominee, Kash Patel, in a last-ditch effort to prevent his appointment.
Mayes and 19 other Democratic attorneys general sent a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday outlining their demand: to require Patel to return to the Senate Judiciary Committee for further questioning regarding the recent FBI official firings for their roles in the January 6 investigations.
Patel testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee last Thursday. The hearing — split into two parts — lasted over five hours.
Mayes claimed in a press release that the ongoing overhaul of the Department of Justice (DOJ) came from Patel, though he has yet to be confirmed to the leadership role and therefore has no authority.
“The Senate has a duty to get real answers from Mr. Patel before moving forward with his confirmation,” said Attorney General Mayes. “Firing career FBI officials for political reasons undermines public safety and weakens our justice system. The American people deserve transparency about what’s happening at the FBI.”
Today, I sent a letter urging the Senate to require Trump’s nominee for FBI Director, to return for further questioning before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Full press release here: https://t.co/LyE1QXIr5l pic.twitter.com/0pMm7PTBDt
— AZ Attorney General Kris Mayes (@AZAGMayes) February 4, 2025
The joint letter claimed Patel would purge the over 6,000 FBI agents and staff tasked to work the prosecutions of the over 1,600 individuals involved in the January 6 Capitol invasion.
“Before a confirmation vote is taken, the United States Senate should know what Mr. Patel plans to do with the list of FBI agents and staff that is currently being compiled. These agents and staff should not be punished just to indulge the President’s personal grudge,” said the attorneys general. “In just two weeks, President Trump has made our country less safe with his attacks on law enforcement and public safety.”
The letter further claimed that a sweeping overhaul of the FBI would risk public safety, stymying efforts such as the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Forces, the Joint Terrorism Task Force, and the White Collar Task Force. Rather than honing FBI efforts on criminals, Mayes’ letter claimed a Patel-led FBI would be lax on crime. As justification of this, the joint letter pointed to Trump’s pardons of the Capitol riot participants, characterizing them as “reckless.”
“Such unprecedented mass firings of prosecutors is concerning and dangerous for public safety and will undoubtedly result in numerous criminals going unpunished,” stated the attorneys general. “[W]e must ask you to take action to oppose the [Trump] administration’s attacks on public safety and law enforcement.”
The other attorneys general on the letter represent California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.
Patel is a close ally to Mayes’ longtime foe and now congressman for Arizona, Abe Hamadeh — a fact which didn’t escape the notice of some.
This is the woman who “won” her election against Abe Hamadeh by 280 votes—the same election where the machines conveniently failed on election day, preventing predominantly Republican voters from casting their ballots. That’s the only reason she’s in this position now. Abe and… https://t.co/WCi7QytNkW
— Hans Mahncke (@HansMahncke) February 4, 2025
The Senate Judiciary Committee’s Democratic members echoed the attorneys general demand letter with a letter of their own.
We have grave concerns with Kash Patel’s nomination, especially given developments during and after his hearing.
Republicans *must* schedule an additional hearing to thoroughly examine serious questions.
Here’s why. A THREAD. pic.twitter.com/3Fzy94ia69
— Senate Judiciary Democrats 🇺🇸 (@JudiciaryDems) February 4, 2025
Committee Chair Chuck Grassley (R-IA) announced on Tuesday that the committee would vote on Patel as early as next week.