stLouISTSenate should not confirm Patel for FBI director
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Tomorrow, the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a confirmation hearing for FBI director nominee Kash Patel. Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF) opposes Patel’s confirmation — as should anyone who values press freedom.
Patel has threatened to turn the government into a weapon of revenge against opponents of President Donald Trump, including journalists. In a 2023 podcast interview, Patel threatened to “come after the people in the media” and target them “criminally or civilly.” When he realized his remarks could jeopardize his confirmation, Patel later claimed that they apply only to journalists who “broke the law.”
The following statement can be attributed to Caitlin Vogus, senior adviser for advocacy at FPF:
“Kash Patel’s confirmation as FBI director would be a new low for the agency when it comes to press freedom and First Amendment rights, and that’s saying something. Senators who vote for Patel’s confirmation will be to blame if and when he supersizes the FBI’s sordid history of targeting journalists, protesters, academics, and activists.
Patel’s claim that he'll only target lawbreaking journalists is cold comfort given his potential boss’s interpretation of 'the law.' Every corrupt politician and authoritarian regime claims the journalists they retaliate against broke the law or aren’t really journalists. Under a Patel/Trump FBI, allegations that journalism and whistleblowing are crimes in and of themselves will likely serve as pretext to punish those who expose government secrets and hold officials to account.”
Under recent administrations, both Democratic and Republican, the FBI has repeatedly surveilled journalists seeking to reveal their sources, including through secret legal demands to phone and email providers. Under the first Trump administration, the FBI conducted an unprecedented number of media investigations in an attempt to “crack down” on leaks to the press.
Historically, the FBI has egregiously abused press freedom by, for instance, digging up dirt on reporters and publishers for reporting on government secrets, accusing Black publishers of acts of sedition during World War II for writing about discrimination in the U.S., and impersonating journalists and documentary filmmakers.
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