Politics
WATCH: Kash Patel Triggers Adam Schiff During Intense Bout Over J6
Kash Patel, former Trump administration official and nominee for FBI director, clashed with Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) during a heated Senate confirmation hearing on Thursday. Schiff, a longtime Trump antagonist, attempted to corner Patel over a song recorded by January 6 inmates that features President Donald Trump reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.
Pressing Patel to admit direct involvement in the song’s production, Schiff met firm resistance, leading to a tense back-and-forth. “Justice for All” was the song featuring Trump reciting the Pledge of Allegiance alongside the J6 Prison Choir singing the national anthem
Schiff opened his questioning by demanding Patel confirm whether he still stood by his previous testimony denying any role in the recording. “I did not have anything to do with the recording. I did not have anything to do with the recording. Do you stand by that testimony, Mr. Patel?” Schiff asked.
Patel stood firm. “Senator, what I said was I didn’t do the recording.” Schiff then attempted to catch Patel in a contradiction, playing a clip from Patel’s appearance on Steve Bannon’s podcast.
“If you had nothing to do with it, Mr. Patel, why did you tell Steve Bannon and all his listeners that you did?” Schiff pressed, referencing Patel’s description of the song’s production.
Patel remained composed. “That’s why it says ‘we’ as you highlighted.”
Schiff tried to double down. “Yeah, and you’re part of the ‘we,’ right? When you say ‘we,’ that includes you, doesn’t it, Mr. Patel?”
“Not in every instance,” Patel responded, refusing to let Schiff twist his words.
Visibly irritated, Schiff attempted to make an issue out of Patel’s phrasing. “Well, that’s new. So when you said ‘we,’ you didn’t really mean you. Is that your testimony?”
Patel, unshaken, fired back. “Not unless you have a new definition for the word ‘we.’” Schiff continued his attacks, shifting to Patel’s promotion of the song, which climbed to the top of the Billboard charts.
WATCH:
Schiff later accused Patel of heavily promoting the January 6 choir’s song and pressed him on whether he vetted those involved before supporting it. Patel clarified that his focus was on raising money for families in need and reiterated that he did not personally record the song.
Schiff escalated the exchange by pointing to Capitol Police officers in the room, demanding Patel acknowledge them and justify his support for individuals convicted of assaulting law enforcement. Patel firmly rejected Schiff’s claims, calling them a lie, stressing his lifelong support for law enforcement while asserting he did not profit from the project.
For all of Schiff’s grandstanding, it was clear Patel was not the one rattled by the exchange—it was the senator himself.
As the hearing wrapped up, the committee chair entered letters from law enforcement groups into the record, showing overwhelming support for Patel’s nomination from organizations representing over 300,000 officers.
Patel’s testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee also placed responsibility for the January 6 security failures on Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer. Patel, former chief of staff at the Department of Defense, stated that the DOD had prepared National Guard troops in advance, but requests for additional support were denied by Pelosi and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser.
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