The Senate should reject Kash Patel’s nomination for director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) because he is unqualified and because of his stated desire to to use the FBI to seek retribution against his perceived political rivals, according to a letter sent to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.

Patel lacks the experience to lead the FBI. Past FBI directors have served in high-ranking positions at the Department of Justice prior to leading the FBI. By contrast, Patel has slim executive branch experience and has very limited federal law enforcement experience. This lack of qualification is reinforced by the fact that high-ranking officials who worked with Patel during the first Trump administration fiercely opposed Patel’s employment in senior positions within the administration.

Additionally, Patel’s stated intention to “come after” his and President Trump’s perceived enemies in government and media is disqualifying. If confirmed, Patel could use the FBI’s vast law enforcement and surveillance apparatus to harass and prosecute perceived foes. Using the FBI in such a manner would be deeply antithetical to a free, democratic society. That possibility is not merely hypothetical: the history of the FBI’s COINTELPRO program during the mid-20th century demonstrates how the Bureau’s immense power can be used to settle political grievances, chill speech and encroach on the rights of law-abiding Americans.

Confirming an unqualified individual who intends to seek retribution as FBI director would be disastrous. The FBI is integral to federal law enforcement efforts, helping to protect public safety and national security infrastructure by investigating and prosecuting violent crime, terrorism, corruption and civil rights violations. Confirming an FBI director who lacks the experience to lead an agency with 38,000 employees, including 55 domestic field offices and legal attache offices in 62 foreign countries risks undermining those core law enforcement functions, which will make Americans less safe. Similarly, using the Bureau to target opponents likely will divert the FBI’s resources away from the actual law enforcement operations that are critical to protecting public safety.

The FBI is too powerful and too important an institution to be used as a political pawn. It should not be placed into the hands of someone who has not demonstrated the skills, knowledge or temperament to lead it. Therefore, the Senate should reject Kash Patel’s nomination for FBI director.

Header photo by Gage Skidmore under a Creative Commons license

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