Republican Sen. John Cornyn said Monday he is inclined to support President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for FBI director Kash Patel after the two discussed “restoring the reputation of the FBI as a non-partisan” agency.
“I assume that Mr. Patel will be confirmed as the next FBI director. We talked about the importance of restoring the reputation of the FBI as a non-partisan law enforcement investigative agency,” Cornyn of Texas said.
Cornyn said after their conversation that he is “certainly inclined to support him — barring some unforeseen circumstances.”
Putting Patel in charge of the FBI would require forcing out current director Christopher Wray, who was appointed by Trump, before his term expires. Cornyn said he did not know what Wray’s plans were, but he expects Patel to be confirmed. He stressed that should Patel be confirmed, it is important he tell the president the truth.
Trump’s FBI director pick came across in a serious manner during his meeting with Cornyn, according to a source familiar with the meeting.
GOP Sen. Joni Ernst shared a photo on X from her meeting with Patel earlier Monday, and said he would “create much-needed transparency at the FBI.”
“He shares my passion for shaking up federal agencies, downsizing the D.C. bureaucracy, and having public servants work on behalf of the American people!” the Republican from Iowa wrote.
After speaking with Ernst in her office on Monday, Patel said that their “meeting went wonderful.”
Meanwhile, incoming Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley said Patel agreed with him on his criticism of the FBI and its current director. Earlier, the Republican from Iowa sent a letter to Wray, saying he has “no confidence” in his ability to lead the FBI. Grassley railed against Wray and FBI leadership for not “not answering our questions, letters, not appearing before committees when they’re asked to appear.”
When asked about whether he and Patel discussed Trump saying members of the January 6th committee should go to jail, Grassley declined to give further details about their discussion except to say they discussed that “congressional oversight should be respected.” An aide with Grassley said Patel did not say he would shut down the FBI building in Washington, DC.
This post has been updated with more reactions to the meetings.