State Attorney General Anne Lopez joined 19 other attorneys general in urging the U.S. Senate to re-call FBI director nominee Kash Patel to provide further testimony regarding possible retaliation within the FBI.

What You Need To Know

  • In a letter to Senate judiciary chair Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, the AGs expressed concern about recent reports of politically motivated firings at the agency and efforts to compile a list of agents involved in investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riots
  • At his Senate confirmation hearing on Jan. 30, Patel told members of the Senate Judiciary Committee that FBI agents would not be subject to political retribution and that no one would be fired for their case assignments. The next day, the Trump administration removed dozens of Department of Justice and FBI officials in what critics fear could be the start of a massive purge of those involved in Trump’s two criminal prosecutions and the prosecutions of those who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6
  • The AGs note that more than 6,000 FBI agents and staff worked on the Jan. 6 prosecutions, investigating and prosecuting more than 1,600 individuals
  • Democrats on the Senate Judiciary also called for a second hearing for Patel based but were rebuffed by Grassley, who said further questioning was unnecessary

 

In a letter to Senate judiciary chair Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, the AGs expressed concern about recent reports of politically motivated firings at the agency and efforts to compile a list of agents involved in investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riots.

“Shortly after his confirmation hearing, we learned from news reports that more than a dozen high-ranking FBI officials were fired and that the FBI is developing a list of all agents and staff who worked investigations and prosecutions related to the January 6th Capitol riots,” the AGs wrote. “It is critical for Mr. Patel to answer questions about this unprecedented attack on the FBI before senators vote on his confirmation.”

At his Senate confirmation hearing on Jan. 30, Patel told members of the Senate Judiciary Committee that FBI agents would not be subject to political retribution and that no one would be fired for their case assignments. The next day, the Trump administration removed dozens of Department of Justice and FBI officials in what critics fear could be the start of a massive purge of those involved in Trump’s two criminal prosecutions and the prosecutions of those who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6.

The AG letter warns that the administration plans to fire at least six high-ranking career FBI officials if they don’t retire and that FBI staff have been instructed to compile a list of those assigned to investigations or prosecutions of Jan. 6 rioters.

The AGs note that more than 6,000 FBI agents and staff worked on the Jan. 6 prosecutions, investigating and prosecuting more than 1,600 individuals.

“Purging over 6,000 FBI agents and staff will have disastrous effects on public safety across the country and will make our communities more dangerous,” the letter states. “FBI employees and staff protect America from the public safety harms that President Trump listed in his executive orders—fentanyl, the Mexican Cartels, foreign terrorist organizations, and harms to Americans’ pocketbooks.”

Lopez said the threat to FBI operations would “substantially harm Hawaii’s law enforcement ecosystem.”

“The FBI plays a substantial role in keeping the people of Hawaii safe,” Lopez said in a statement released on Tuesday. “The tight-knit relationship between the FBI and our state and county law enforcement includes investigating and prosecuting individuals for public corruption, internet crimes against children, and conducting joint operations to disrupt, dismantle and prosecute drug trafficking organizations and money laundering operations across the state.” 

The AG letter frames what is happening at the FBI as part of a larger “attack” on law enforcement by the administration.

“The President’s efforts to undermine the FBI follow unprecedented attacks on our country’s public safety,” the AGs wrote. “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 AGs said it is necessary to question Patel about the FBI purge before any confirmation vote is held.

Joining Lopez in the letter are the attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.

Democrats on the Senate Judiciary also called for a second hearing for Patel based but were rebuffed by Grassley, who said further questioning was unnecessary.

If another hearing is not scheduled, Patel’s nomination could be voted on as early as this week.

Michael Tsai covers local and state politics for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at michael.tsai@charter.com.