Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a coalition of 20 attorneys general, sent a letter to Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, urging the Senate to require Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s nominee for FBI Director, to return for further questioning before the Senate Judiciary Committee. The request follows alarming reports of politically-motivated firings at the FBI and efforts to compile a list of agents involved in investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riots.
“My office has proudly partnered with the FBI to combat theft, fraud, drug and gun trafficking, and other crimes that threaten the safety and well-being of Illinois communities,” said Raoul. “FBI agents risk their personal safety to protect us, and politically-motivated retaliation against them is unacceptable. Firing potentially thousands of agents simply because they worked the cases they were assigned will have a disastrous effect on public safety in Illinois and across the country. Kash Patel must answer questions about these troubling reports before the Senate votes on his confirmation.”
Raoul and the attorneys general note how critical it is for Patel to address recent reports of politically-motivated firings at the FBI. Their letter raises concerns that shortly after Patel’s confirmation hearing, more than a dozen high-ranking FBI officials were fired. There are reports that the administration plans to fire at least six additional high-ranking career FBI officials or force them into retirement
The attorneys general cite reports that acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove directed FBI staff to compile a list of all staff who were assigned at any time to investigations or prosecutions relating to the Jan. 6 riots. The attorneys general note that the total number of agents could be more than 6,000, and firing these agents would amount to a purge of FBI employees. Raoul and the attorneys general stress that Patel must answer questions about this unprecedented attack on the FBI before senators vote on his confirmation.
Beyond the FBI purge, the letter condemns additional attacks on law enforcement by the administration, stating, “The president’s efforts to undermine the FBI follow unprecedented attacks on our country’s public safety. In just two weeks, the president has fired United States Attorneys, pardoned rioters who killed and injured Capitol Police officers, and attempted to cut off funding for law enforcement across the country.” The attorneys general argue that over the past two weeks, President Trump has taken actions that make the country less safe.
Raoul and the attorneys general assert that Congress must act to protect Americans and hold the administration accountable. The attorneys general emphasize in their letter that the first step is requiring Patel to answer questions about the pending FBI purge before a confirmation vote.
Joining Raoul in sending the letter are the attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.
