CARSON CITY, Nev. (KOLO) – Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford has joined a coalition of other state Attorneys General asking the Senate to demand answers from FBI Director Nominee Kash Patel on potential retaliation efforts.
He and 19 other AGs sent a letter to Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley urging them to compel Patel to undergo further questioning before the Senate Judiciary Commitee.
“Congress must ensure that the FBI can do its vital work unencumbered by political pressures or threats of retaliation,” said AG Ford. “Without these protections, the FBI will be severely diminished in its capacity to ensure public safety. I urge the Senate to treat these discussions seriously and to further question Mr. Patel to ensure the FBI will not become politicized or undermined.”
The AGs say that it is critical for Patel to address allegations of politically motivated firings at the FBI. In their letter, they write: “shortly after his confirmation hearing, we learned from news reports that more than a dozen high-ranking FBI officials were fired and that the FBI is developing a list of all agents and staff who worked investigations and prosecutions related to the January 6th Capitol riots. It is critical for Mr. Patel to answer questions about this unprecedented attack on the FBI before Senators vote on his confirmation.”
The letter also alleges the administration plans to fire at least six high ranking FBI officials should they not retire.
They wrote: “purging over 6,000 FBI agents and staff will have disastrous effects on public safety across the country and will make our communities more dangerous. FBI employees and staff protect America from the public safety harms that President Trump listed in his executive orders — fentanyl, the Mexican Cartels, foreign terrorist organizations and harms to American’s pocketbooks.”
The states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington join Ford in this coalition.
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