Kash Patel is striking fear into the hearts of the Department of Justice workers, both current and former. He was briefly smeared as a crazy person and a Trump loyalist who would smash up the agency. I didn’t need any more convincing regarding the pick—I want him. Any person disgraced former FBI official Andrew McCabe finds deplorable is the right choice.
Patel looked like he would be a tough fight on the Hill regarding confirmation. Yet, given how Joe Biden has weaponized the Justice Department to the point where even non-Trump supporters see right through the lawfare, that might have played a role in Patel seemingly cruising to confirmation. He’s angered the conservative base over numerous trip-ups, not least teaming with Democrats on a shoddy gun control measure in 2022. Still, Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), once viewed as Mitch McConnell’s heir apparent, declared on Hugh Hewitt’s show that Mr. Patel has enough votes for confirmation.
“Yes, he will be [confirmed],” Cornyn told Hewitt yesterday.
Patel is qualified, earning a DOJ award from the Obama administration for his work in hunting down terrorists.
So, that gets one tough confirmation fight out of the way. Now, it’s on ensuring Mr. Pete Hegseth survives, facing trouble as Sens. Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Susan Collins (R-ME) have shown reluctance to back his nomination as secretary of defense. And if Collins says something like this, you know Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) isn’t far behind.
