Republican Tennessee Sen. Bill Hagerty called out the “woefully inexperienced” officials under President Joe Biden’s administration on NBC News Sunday in response to criticism of President-elect Donald Trump’s pick of Kash Patel as FBI director.
Pushback from Democrats and other officials against Patel came after Trump announced Patel as his pick to lead the FBI on Saturday. On “Meet the Press,” NBC host Kristen Welker pressed the Republican senator on former Attorney General Bill Barr’s claim in his memoir that Patel lacked the experience to “qualify him to serve at the highest level of the world’s preeminent law enforcement agency,” after the former president had floated the idea of promoting him to deputy FBI director at the end of his first term.
“Listen, I think you should have the Biden administration look at itself. What is the qualification of Tony Blinken to become Secretary of State? Well, he organized 51 so-called intelligence experts to put together a fake letter saying that Hunter Biden laptop was Russian disinformation. That must have qualified him to be secretary of State,” Hagerty said.
“President Trump is entitled to name his appointees. That is exactly what he’s doing, and I’m going to support this appointment. Kash has worked in national security,” Hagerty added. “He’s worked at the Department of Justice, and he’s somebody that has been willing to uncover the wrongs of the FBI. He’s the one that uncovered for the American public what happened with Russiagate. He’s the one that can see through the fix here.”
Welker pushed back against the lawmaker, highlighting that Barr served under Trump’s administration and asking whether Hagerty was disregarding the warning from the former official.
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“I’m saying there are people that are serving in the current administration that are woefully inexperienced. I think Kash does have relevant experience, particularly when it comes to the mandate the American public has signed of turning these agencies around that have become completely corrupted,” Hagerty responded. “Kash has pointed it out. He’s probably the best at uncovering what’s happened at the FBI, and I look forward to seeing him taking it apart.”
While Republicans and Trump supporters, including Trump’s National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, Republican Texas Congressman Troy E. Nichols and former Republican Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, praised Patel as the former president’s choice, Democratic officials questioned on X whether Trump’s former chief of staff to the secretary of defense would be able to pass through the Senate.
“Kash Patel will be another test of the Senate’s power of advice and consent,” Democratic Delaware Sen. Chris Coons wrote. “Patel needs to prove to the Senate Judiciary Committee that he has the right qualifications and, despite his past statements, will put our nation’s public safety over a political agenda focused on retribution.”
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