Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s nominee for FBI director, deflected attacks from Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) during his recent Senate confirmation hearing. Schiff brought allegations surrounding Patel’s involvement with the January 6 choir, a group of men incarcerated for their participation in the 2021 event. The California Democrat pressed Patel as to whether he endorsed violence against law enforcement.
The J6 choir became famous in 2023 for releasing the song “Justice for All” which topped charts. Schiff opened his line of questioning, “Mr. Patel, during this hearing, Senator Durbin, asked you about the January 6 choir of inmates who you signed and promoted. And here’s what you said, ‘I did not have anything to do with the recording. I did not have anything to do with the recording.’ Do you stand by that testimony, Mr. Patel?”
Patel responded, “Senator, what I said was, I didn’t do the recording.” Pushing back on Patel’s response, Schiff said, “You said you didn’t have anything to do with the recording, which is interesting, because here’s what you told Steve Bannon on his podcast. So what we thought would be cool is if we captured that on you, and then, of course, had the greatest president, President Donald J Trump, recite the pledge of allegiance, then we went to a studio and recorded it, mastered it, digitized it, and put it out as a song.”
After Patel and Schiff argued about the semantics of his statement, the nominee explained the intentions behind the song. “I promoted the heck out of raising money for families in need,” Patel said. Eventually, after more back-and-forth on the song, Schiff drew concern that Patel was associating himself with people who committed violent acts against law enforcement.
“Mr. Patel, let me ask you this, if an FBI Director promoted a song of people who sprayed pepper spray in the face of an FBI agent, would you say they were fit to be director?” Schiff asked. “I am fit to be the Director of the FBI,” Patel fired back with confidence. “If you were the FBI director, and he promoted a song to someone who beat an FBI agent with a pole. Would you say you were fit to be FBI director?” the senator asked again. Patel doubled down that he was qualified.
At one point during the hearing, Schiff commanded Patel to look at the present law enforcement officers in the eyes and address them amid the J6 allegations brought against him. “I want you to turn around. There are Capitol police officers behind their guardians. Take a look at them right now,” Schiff said. Patel retorted, “I’m looking at you, you’re talking to me.”
Schiff then said, “I want you to look at them if you can, if you have the courage to look them in the eye, Mr. Patel, and tell them you’re proud of what you did. Tell them you’re proud that you raised money off of people that assaulted their colleagues, that pepper sprayed them, that beat them with poles.” After Patel maintained Schiff’s comments were an “abject lie” he flipped the script, stating, “How about you ask them if I have their backs and let’s see about that answer.”
Watch the tense hearing below:
However, Sen. Chuck Grassley counteracted this move from Schiff by listing numerous endorsements of Patel from law enforcement groups. “I have letters here from law enforcement groups representing 310,000 officers supporting Mr. Patel’s nomination, and that’d be like the Association of Police Organizations, National Police Association, United Federation of Police Officers, Police Benevolent Association, United Coalition for Public Safety. I’ll put these in the record,” Grassley said.
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