At today's Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) questioned FBI Director Kash Patel about a range of topics
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00:00Director Patel, welcome to the committee here.
00:02Hello, sir.
00:03Director, I've long been a supporter of Project Safe Neighborhoods.
00:07It's a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement in the communities that they serve
00:13to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.
00:17These successful networks often work very closely with the FBI.
00:22In fact, in Michigan just last year, the FBI played a key role in cases brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods,
00:29including two cases involving convicted felons possessing firearms with high-capacity magazines.
00:36Under the law, bipartisan support that Senator Cornyn and I wrote and passed back in 2018.
00:44Funds for this program, though, are locally controlled.
00:47Local control is a big part of it to address the problems that are identified locally and then addressed accordingly.
00:53This includes local police departments in Michigan,
00:56the things that they're dealing with day-to-day on the ground.
00:59And the current statute actually emphasizes local control to every extent possible.
01:05So I was concerned that the Trump administration seems to want to bring these funds under national rather than local control.
01:14Earlier this year, the acting deputy attorney general issued a memo in which he directed the program
01:19should establish a national initiative to focus on immigration-related prosecutions.
01:25So my question for you, Director, is can you help me understand how the Trump administration believes
01:30it has the authority to direct from Washington how these local funds should be used?
01:37The only thing I can help you understand is how FBI funds are utilized, Senator.
01:41I don't have the ability to comment on how the Department of Justice moves its money around.
01:47Are you supportive of shifting control of funding from local recipients to the national folks?
01:54Generally speaking, at least with the FBI,
01:57I'm very supportive of directly engaging with local-level law enforcement to get the job done.
02:01So can I get your help in making sure that local folks continue to get these resources
02:09and work closely with your folks in local communities?
02:13It's been a very successful program.
02:14I'd like to be able to work with you to make sure that it continues to have local control.
02:18You can, and I'll talk to the Department of Justice on it.
02:20I appreciate it. Thank you.
02:22Director, for the last decade, the threat from domestic terrorists,
02:26and in particular from white supremacists and anti-government militias,
02:30has remained, unfortunately, persistent.
02:33In the last 10 years, no category of terrorist has killed more Americans in the U.S. than white supremacists.
02:39And yet there are reports that you have reassigned agents away from the domestic terrorism operations section,
02:46which supports investigations run out of the FBI's 55 field offices, as you know,
02:51and provides information on domestic threats.
02:54And as we understand, there's also consideration of disbanding that unit entirely,
03:00and that the FBI has currently discontinued a practice of tagging investigations with connections to domestic terrorism.
03:08The administration has also tasked federal law enforcement agencies
03:11with prioritizing immigration enforcement over other responsibilities.
03:15So the question I have for you, Director, is do you consider domestic terrorism an ongoing threat to Americans?
03:21I do.
03:21So do you intend to disband the domestic terrorism operations section?
03:27No.
03:31Appreciate that.
03:34Director, in February, you announced the disbandment of the Foreign Influence Task Force,
03:39which was dedicated to identifying and counteracting foreign malign influence targeting our domestic institutions,
03:48with a specific focus on securing our elections against foreign interference.
03:54Director Patel, could you tell me why you disbanded the task force?
03:58Just to clarify, Senator, I didn't disband it.
04:00That happened before I got to the FBI.
04:03That happened before you were there?
04:05Yes.
04:05Yes, sir.
04:06Well, now that the task force has been disbanded, happened before you,
04:10how will the FBI work to protect our elections from foreign adversaries?
04:14In my opinion, based on the almost three months I've been there, there has been no gap in terms of how we cover down on foreign adversarial impact to all sectors of our society.
04:26And the folks that were doing the work, that were on the said task force, are still doing the work.
04:32Why do we not have a task force, then?
04:35Is it something you, if you're there now, you could put it back together?
04:38Is that something you'd consider, or?
04:40I believe that was an interagency task force, so I don't have the ability to just put that back on.
04:45Would you support doing that and work with the other agencies?
04:48I'd have to look at it, Senator, and I'm happy to do so.
04:50I'm just not the expert on the FIDIC.
04:52Okay, well, I'll be reaching out to your office, if we could have that conversation, I'd appreciate it.
04:56Please.
04:58Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
04:59Senator Coons.
05:00Thank you very much, Chair, in ranking.