KASH PATEL

ACLU - [Kash] Patel has made extensive comments on the record that raise significant concerns on crucial civil rights and civil liberties issues, including:

1. Patel has described his desire to target perceived enemies, including the press and civil servants. In September, Patel stated, “We [must] collectively join forces to take on the most powerful enemy that the United States has ever seen, and no it’s not Washington, DC, it’s the mainstream media and these people out there in the fake news. That is our mission!” He has also advocated revoking the security clearances of civil servants who participated in investigations of then-President Trump, describing the list of targets as “massive.”
2. His political allegiance and financial ties to President-elect Trump raise concerns about whether he can maintain the FBI’s traditional and important independence from partisan or political influence. Patel has called himself a member of “Donald Trump’s army,” and described the President-elect as “our juggernaut of justice,” “our leader,” and “our continued warrior in the arena.” He likewise serves on the board of Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), which owns Trump’s Truth Social platform, and has been paid $465,000 to consult for the company.
3. He has falsely accused marginalized groups of wrongdoing and attacked their rights. He spread debunked conspiracy theories regarding undocumented people, stating, “What do you bring in all these people here for? . . . I think the Democrats are smart enough to say, well, we got to figure out a new way to rig the election.”
4. He has, however, also highlighted the dangers of certain kinds of overbroad governmental surveillance. He stated, for example, that “the biggest problem the FBI has had has come out of its intel shops” and asserted that Section 702 — the law that allows the FBI and other agencies to engage in mass warrantless surveillance of Americans’ international communications — “needs major, major reform — tons,” which is also a longstanding ACLU priority. According to Patel, he would break up the FBI’s intelligence functions and distribute them to other agencies.