Transportation Secretary Duffy: This was not unusual, with the military aircraft flying the river, and aircraft landing at DCA.

Grassley describing the upcoming hearing as, "controversial".

Grassley: To get here, this far along in the process, you [Patel] gave us much information. You submitted over a thousand pages of records to the committee, over a thousand individual interviews, and many hundreds of hours of media.

Grassley:Mr. Patel's career has been a study in fighting unpopular, but righteous causes, exposing corruption, and putting America First.

Grassley: Through tireless work, Mr. Patel showed that Crossfire Hurricane was based upon fraudulent, discredited information paid for by the Democratic National Committee, and the Clinton campaign. As reward for his efforts to uncover the truth, mainstream media personally attacked Mr. Patel, and the FBI secretly subpoenaed his records…I expect many of these underhanded attacks will be repeated today.

Grassley: In my hand are a series of FBI emails. The first is an email that Thibault sent to subordinate agent on February 14, 2022. He said, "Here is a draft, opening language we discussed." The draft opening was attached, and it include material that would later become part of Jack Smith's elector case. The second email, February 24, 2022, email from Thibault to John Crab, a prosecutor in the US Attorney's Office, saying, "I had a discussion with the case team, and we believe there is predication to include former President of the United States, Donald J. Trump as a predicated subject." This FBI case would later be code named, "Arctic Frost". The third email, February 24, 2022, email from Thibault to John Crab, noting that the attorney general and the FBI approval will be sought to open the case, The fourth email, February 25, 2022, email from Thibault subordinate agent, saying they added Trump and others as a criminal subject to the case. Thibault responded, "Perfect"….Justice Department and FBI leadership acted on concert to further a political scheme to take down Trump, just like they did in Crossfire Hurricane.

Durbin: Mr. Patel has published at the back of his book, a list of sixty people whom he calls, "members of the deep state". Sixty. This list includes many distinguished public servants who have dedicated their lives to our nation.

Durbin: Mr. Patel's record is clear. He trafficks in debunked conspiracy theories that serve or benefit his political beliefs.

Durbin: In this book, Mr. Patel calls Director Bob Muller, "a swamp creature".

kek

Patel: If confirmed as the next FBI director, I will remain focused on the FBI's core mission. That is, to investigate fully wherever there is a constitutional, factual basis to do so, and to never make a prosecutorial decision that is solely the providence of the Department of Justice and the attorney general.

Patel: We must tackle violent crime. Just in 2023alone, there was a hundred thousand rapes, a hundred thousand drug overdoses, and seventeen thousand homicides. The priority of the FBI, if I am confirmed, will be to ensure that our communities are protected and safeguarded, and our children have parks to play in, and not needles to walk over. The way we do this, we let good cops be cops.

Grassley: Are you a follower or promoter of QANON?

Patel: No, senator, in fact, I have publicly, including in the interviews provided to this committee, rejected outright QANON baseless conspiracy theories, or any other baseless conspiracy theories. They must be addressed head-on with the truth.