Sen. Whitehouse sounds alarm about Patel's nomination
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I. continued to press Patel in blistering terms over President Trump's sweeping pardons for Jan. 6 rioters.
The senator then pressed Patel directly, using quotes from past podcast appearances and memes posted on his social media profiles.
"Here's what this nominee himself has said about using his office to prosecute journalists: 'We will go out and find the conspirators, not just in government but in the media. We're going to come after you, whether it's criminally or civilly.' Is that a correct quotation, Mr. Patel?" Whitehouse asked.
"In part," Patel ultimately answered.
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Patel further sought to distance himself from a meme he previously re-shared on Truth Social showing him taking a chainsaw to his political enemies, claiming he "had nothing to do with the creation" of the meme.
Whitehouse then summed up, in scathing terms, what he argued Patel's nomination could mean for the future of the FBI and the nonpartisan enforcement of the law.
"There is an unfathomable difference between a seeming facade being constructed around this nominee here today and what he has actually done and said in real life when left to his own devices," he said.