CV NEWS FEED // Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s nominee for Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) director, said during his Senate confirmation hearing Thursday that he would initiate an investigation into the FBI’s 2023 “Richmond memo” that targeted so-called “radical traditional” Catholics.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, asked Patel during the hearing: “Would you commit to me that you will … officially withdraw this memo and make it clear that this is not only unacceptable, but that it is an absolute violation of the First Amendment that every American enjoys under the Constitution of the United States?”
Patel replied: “If I’m confirmed, Senator, yes.”
Hawley followed up: “Will you also commit to me that you will conduct an investigation and find out who wrote this memo, who spread this memo, the field offices involved in this memo?”
“Will you find out who is involved in this gross abuse of Americans’ First-Amendment rights and will you discipline them, and, if you possibly can, will you fire them, Mr. Patel?”
Sen. Josh Hawley calls out the FBI for targeting Catholics during Kash Patel's confirmation hearing:
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) January 30, 2025
"Is it appropriate for the FBI to attempt to recruit spies or informants into religious institutions, particularly Catholic parishes? pic.twitter.com/d7DddpHzBj
“Senator, you have my commitment to investigate any matters such as this one that are important to Congress,” Patel answered. “I will fully utilize, if confirmed, the investigative powers of the FBI to give you the information you require and also to hold those accountable who violated the sacred trust placed in them at the FBI.”
“I’m glad to hear you say that,” responded Hawley, “and I’m glad you used the word sacred trust because that’s exactly what it is. The FBI’s the most powerful law enforcement body in this nation … and to have this body corrupted, politically, such that it is targeting people of faith in this country … I never thought this would happen in the United States of America.”
Hawley held up a copy of the 2023 anti-Catholic memo. “If you had told me five years ago we’d be reading memos like this, I would have said, ‘No way, no way, that’s bad fiction.’ In fact, it’s a horrible reality.”
“The Department needs to be cleaned up,” Hawley continued, “and our rights restored and protected. I’m glad to hear you say that.”
Hawley subsequently wrote on X: “Under Biden, the FBI recruited agents to spy in Catholic churches and then lied about it. Kash Patel just committed to HOLD ACCOUNTABLE the people who did this.”
Under Biden, the FBI recruited agents to spy in Catholic churches and then lied about it
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) January 30, 2025
Kash Patel just committed to HOLD ACCOUNTABLE the people who did this pic.twitter.com/6sS1CbEypJ
“It’s my honor to introduce Kash Patel,” said Sen. Thom Tillis, R-North Carolina, at the hearing. “I’ve completed due diligence on his life and career and I’m convinced that Kash possesses significant expertise and ironclad to justice. He is an outstanding choice to lead the FBI,” added Tillis, a Catholic.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Oklahoma, seconded Tillis’ remarks on X, writing, “Could not agree more.”
In an effort to highlight what he termed the Democrats’ “predetermined narrative” about Patel, Tillis brought to the Senate floor a printed-out bingo card titled “K$H BINGO.”
The card contained talking points the FBI nominee’s opponents on the political left have often used to attack him, including phrases and names such as “QAnon,” “Dark money,” “Enemies list,” and “Liz Cheney.”
Tillis said early in the hearing that some may view the card he compiled as “an unserious caricature and not appropriate for this committee.”
“Sadly, I consider it a serious character of what I expect to be witness today,” the senator said. “I’ve already X’d out four boxes in the opening statements alone. The fact of the matter is some people will be here to simply substantiate a false narrative.”
If you’re watching the @Kash_Patel hearing, feel free to play along as Democrats plow through with their predetermined narrative. pic.twitter.com/k5iS6kFzHN
— Senator Thom Tillis (@SenThomTillis) January 30, 2025
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota, read a quotation of Patel during the hearing that included the language: “We’re going to come after the people in the media who lied about American citizens” and “who helped Joe Biden rig the elections.”
Patel replied: “That’s a partial statement of what I said.”
Klobuchar then mentioned that Patel had made the remark on political strategist Steve Bannon’s podcast.
The Democratic senator continued: “You have also said you’d put the entire fake news mafia press corps on your list.”
After Klobuchar read more quotations of Patel, the nominee fired back: “If the best attacks on me are going to be false accusations and grotesque mischaracterizations, the only thing this body is doing is defeating the credibility of the men and women at the FBI.”
INCREDIBLE! Kash Patel just DISMANTLED Amy Klobuchar's attacks in an explosive exchange:
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) January 30, 2025
KASH: "If the best attacks on me are going to be false accusations and grotesque mischaracterizations the only thing this body is doing is defeating the credibility the men and women of the… pic.twitter.com/i7c81bjjtF
“Any accusations leveled against me that I would somehow put political bias before the Constitution are grotesquely unfair,” Patel continued, “and I will remind you that I have been endorsed by over 300,000 law enforcement officers to become the next Director of the FBI. Let’s ask them.”
In response to another quotation repeated by Klobuchar, Patel said: “That is a general statement and a mischaracterization of what I said. I encourage you to read the rest of the interview.”
“This is why snippets of information are often misleading and detrimental to this committee’s advise and consent process,” he emphasized.
Tillis wrote on X after the hearing: “Democrats came into today’s hearing with a predetermined narrative about @Kash_Patel and relied on a lot of unfair and misleading attacks.”
“Kash was calm and cool and destroyed that false narrative, demonstrating his experience and commitment to applying the law without favor or political bias,” the lawmaker added. “He’s going to be an outstanding FBI Director.”
Democrats came into today's hearing with a predetermined narrative about @Kash_Patel and relied on a lot of unfair and misleading attacks.
— Senator Thom Tillis (@SenThomTillis) January 30, 2025
Kash was calm and cool and destroyed that false narrative, demonstrating his experience and commitment to applying the law without favor or… pic.twitter.com/SbdFFaoNlX
In late November, Trump had nominated Patel to replace Christopher Wray, whom Trump had nominated as FBI director during his first term in 2017.
As CatholicVote noted, Wray continued to serve “in his role under the entire Biden-Harris administration,” during which the “Richmond memo” was drafted.
In August 2023, CatholicVote reported that Wray “‘may have lied under oath’ about the Bureau’s infamous January memo against so-called ‘radical traditional’ Catholics.”
“Evidence shows the contents of the memo did not originate solely with the Richmond, VA field office” as Wray had claimed, “but were part of an effort that spanned the FBI offices of Portland and Los Angeles,” CatholicVote indicated at the time.
Wray resigned as FBI director on January 19, the last full day of the Biden presidency. Brian Driscoll currently serves as acting FBI director under the second Trump administration.
In announcing his choice of Patel just less than two months ago, Trump wrote on TRUTH Social: “Kash did an incredible job during my First Term, where he served as Chief of Staff at the Department of Defense, Deputy Director of National Intelligence, and Senior Director for Counterterrorism at the National Security Council. Kash has also tried over 60 jury trials.”
As of Thursday afternoon, leading betting website Polymarket had indicated that the Senate has a 94% likelihood of confirming Patel as FBI director.