Senators expected to grill Kash Patel on plans for FBI overhaul

Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the FBI, insisted to deeply skeptical Democrats on Thursday that he did not have an “enemies list" and that the bureau under his leadership would not seek retribution against the president's adversaries or launch investigations for political purposes.

Kash Patel strenuously denied backing the QAnon cult and its “baseless” conspiracy theories as he backpedaled on some previous statements in a contentious confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill. Donald Trump’s pick for FBI director faced a flurry of accusations from Democrat senators claiming he had targeted “deep state” political opponents and the “fake mafia media,

FBI nominee Kash Patel will take questions from the Judiciary Committee at 9:30 a.m. WSJ’s Sadie Gurman breaks down Patel’s rise from public defender to one of Trump’s most loyal operatives. Photo Ill

During Jan. 15 confirmation hearings for Pam Bondi, Trump's nominee for attorney general who oversees the FBI as part of the Justice Department, Democratic senators pressed Bondi on whether Patel was a good choice to run the agency, pointing to Patel's previous comments calling for downsizing the intelligence community.

Gabbard has faced criticism for a 2017 meeting with former Syrian President Bashar Assad, her position that Washington bears some responsibility for the war in Ukraine, and skepticism toward some findings of the U.S. intelligence community. Health and human services secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is set to testify at 10 a.m.

President Donald Trump’s new administration is looking ahead to key Senate hearings this week for three of his most controversial nominees.

Senators pressed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on his past vaccine and abortion remarks in the first of two days of hearings before senators vote on whether to confirm him as President Trump’s health secretary.

Three of President Donald Trump’s cabinet picks will face skepticism and intense grilling from Democratic Senators during their confirmation hearings Thursday. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will face his second HHS hearing,

Kash Patel, President Trump's nominee to serve as FBI director, is set to appear Thursday on Capitol Hill for a high-stakes confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee amid calls from Republicans for massive reforms in FBI leadership and concerns from Democrats about his fitness to lead the nation's top law enforcement agency.

During Jan. 15 confirmation hearings for Pam Bondi, Trump's nominee for attorney general who oversees the FBI as part of the Justice Department, Democratic senators pressed Bondi on whether Patel was a good choice to run the agency. They pointed to Patel's previous comments calling for downsizing the intelligence community.