After facing tough questions from Democrats during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing this week, FBI Director Kash Patel stayed firm, saying he is “proud” to lead the country’s main investigative agency.
Speaking with reporters after the hearing, Patel, confirmed by the Senate in late February, highlighted the agency’s record-breaking recruiting efforts, saying the FBI “has the most applicants to become FBI agents and intel analysts in the history of the FBI.”
Democratic senators criticized Patel for initially misstating on social media that conservative leader Charlie Kirk’s alleged killer was in custody. Patel admitted he could have worded his post better but said he does not regret it, calling it an act of transparency.
Speaking after the hearing, Patel added that “the American people are seeing and hearing what the FBI is doing on a daily basis, crushing violent crime and defending the homeland.”
“So, I’m proud to be the director of the FBI that has seen the most significant, expansive application pool in history,” he said.
In his opening statement, Patel listed several accomplishments the agency has made since President Donald Trump took office, including tens of thousands of arrests, a reorganization of the FBI, and a focus on fighting illegal drugs.
Patel also addressed growing criticism of his leadership, telling lawmakers, “I’m not going anywhere” and “if you want to criticize my 16 years of service, please bring it on.”
Some scrutiny focused on a wave of firings at the FBI, which critics say were politically motivated.
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., criticized Patel’s loyalty to Trump, saying the director “installed MAGA loyalists” and required internal “loyalty tests,” including polygraph tests. Durbin claimed some FBI officials needed waivers to keep working after failing these tests. He also said Patel has little law enforcement experience and accused him of fast-tracking unqualified recruits.
Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, questioned Patel about requiring FBI agents to do push-ups as part of their physical fitness standards. Hirono raised concerns that female agents could be negatively affected, asking, “There are concerns about whether or not being able to do these kinds of harsh pull-ups is really required of FBI agents.”
Patel responded, “If you want to chase down a bad guy, excuse me, and put him in handcuffs, you had better be able to do a pull-up.”
In a tense moment, Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., challenged Patel, saying, “I think you’re not going to be around long” and criticizing Patel’s loyalty to Trump over the Constitution.
Patel replied, “Booker’s rant of false information does not bring this country together,” and added, “It’s my time, not yours.”
