US House Democrats urge Senate to reject Kash Patel’s FBI nomination

​​​​​​​By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - A group of Democrats in the House of Representatives sent a letter Tuesday to the Senate Judiciary Committee to oppose the confirmation of Kash Patel to lead the FBI.

"The nomination of Mr. Patel, an individual with almost no law enforcement experience and a history of politically charged and inflammatory statements is clearly a break from tradition and one that deserves extensive scrutiny as a result.

"He has published a list of political opponents in his book and has promised to shut down the FBI headquarters on his first day in office. The FBI Director is not a position for an erratic political actor focused on retribution," it said.

The letter, which was spearheaded by Glenn Ivey, comes ahead of the panel set to advance Patel’s nomination out of the committee later this week.

The Democrats raised concern that Patel will carry out President Donald Trump's "retaliatory efforts" rather than focus on the FBI's mission to keep the American people safe.

Patel tried to reassure lawmakers that if confirmed, he would uphold the FBI’s independence and avoid politically motivated investigations, during his testimony last month.

Trump and Patel have long criticized the Justice Department and FBI, accusing those agencies of being “weaponized” against conservatives and prioritizing politics over justice.