Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and Coalition of 19 Attorneys General Urge Senate to Demand Answers on Retaliation Efforts from FBI Director Nominee Kash Patel

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TRENTON — New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and a coalition of 19 attorneys general today sent a letter to Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, urging the Senate to require Kash Patel, President Trump’s nominee for FBI Director, to return for further questioning before the Senate Judiciary Committee. The request follows alarming reports of politically motivated firings at the FBI and efforts to compile a list of agents involved in investigating the January 6th Capitol riots.

“Kash Patel has a long history of defending the January 6th insurrectionists who attacked our Capitol and violently assaulted law enforcement officers,” said Attorney General Platkin. “Now, as the Trump Administration tries to install him as FBI Director, they are already purging FBI officials as retribution for rightfully investigating the criminals who tried to interfere in the peaceful transfer of power between administrations. The FBI is a critical partner in my office’s work to stop illegal guns, fight drug trafficking, and much more. New Jerseyans deserve answers from Mr. Patel as to whether he will cripple this agency and undercut our residents’ safety.”

The attorneys general note how critical it is for Patel to address recent reports of retaliatory firings at the FBI, stating in their joint letter, “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 raises additional concerns over reports that “the Administration plans to fire at least six high-ranking career FBI officials if they do not retire” and that “acting deputy attorney general Emil Bove directed FBI staff to compile a list of all staff who were ‘assigned at any time to investigations and/or prosecutions’ relating to the January 6th riots.” The attorneys general state, “If true, this is a purge of FBI employees.”

The attorneys general stress that before any confirmation vote, “the United States Senate should know what Mr. Patel plans to do with the list of FBI agents and staff that is currently being compiled.”

“Purging over 6,000 FBI agents and staff out of 38,000 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.”

Beyond the FBI purge, the letter condemns additional attacks on law enforcement by the Trump administration, stating, “The President’s efforts to undermine the FBI follow unprecedented attacks on our country’s public safety. In just two weeks, the President has fired United States Attorneys, pardoned rioters who killed and injured Capitol Police Officers, and cut off funding for law enforcement across the country.”

The letter continues, “Further, Congress must question Administration officials on the scope of pardoning Capitol rioters, and its attempts to dismiss pending cases against January 6th rioters. At least one judge has already found that the dismissals will harm public safety and are unjustified.”

Now is the time for Congress to act. Over the past two weeks, President Trump has taken repeat actions that put the safety of our residents at risk. Attorney General Platkin believes that Congress must act to protect Americans and hold the Administration accountable. The first step is requiring Mr. Patel to answer questions about the pending FBI purge before a confirmation vote.

Joining New Jersey in sending the letter are the attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaiʻi, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.

A copy of the letter is available here.