Attorney General Anne Lopez, along with 20 other attorneys general, has called on the Senate Judiciary Committee, led by Chairman Chuck Grassley, to further investigate FBI Director nominee Kash Patel. According to the Office of the Governor release, the attorneys general are concerned about reports of politically motivated firings within the FBI and a list being created of personnel who worked on investigations related to the January 6, 2021 Capitol riots.
The attorneys general are requesting this scrutiny before Patel is confirmed to oversee the FBI. The joint letter states, "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," as noted in the same release.
The letter also highlights concerns about allegations that six high-ranking FBI officials are being pressured to retire, and that Emil Bove, acting deputy attorney general, is overseeing the compilation of the list. The letter states, "If true, this is a purge of FBI employees." The attorneys general argue that such actions could harm public safety efforts across the country, including in specific regions like Hawaii. "This threat to FBI operations will substantially harm Hawai‘i’s law enforcement ecosystem," said Attorney General Lopez in the Office of the Governor release.
The letter also criticizes actions taken by the Trump administration that the attorneys general believe undermine law enforcement integrity, such as dismissing U.S. Attorneys and pardoning individuals involved in the January 6 insurrection. They argue that these decisions, including halting funding for law enforcement and dismissing cases against rioters, threaten public safety. Attorney General Lopez suggests that Congress must act on these issues. The letter concludes with the attorneys general calling for Kash Patel to address these concerns before his confirmation.
The states joining Hawaii in this request include Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington. These legal leaders express concerns about partisanship within the FBI and the need for a just and effective judicial system.
