Schiff bashes Trump’s FBI director pick as ‘conspiracy theorist’

Sen. Adam Schiff slammed Kash Patel, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for FBI director, calling unqualified and a “conspiracy theorist.”

The California Democrat, who was recently sworn in to the upper chamber to fill out the remainder of the term of the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein, said on ABC’s “This Week” that Mr. Patel’s only qualification to lead the agency is being a toady to Mr. Trump.

“Well, let me just say, with respect to some of the nominees like Kash Patel, this is someone in my view who’s not qualified to be FBI director and someone who claimed, for example, that he wanted to shut down FBI headquarters early in his tenure and open a museum to the deep state. So this is a conspiracy theorist,” Mr. Schiff said.

“It’s also someone I think who demonstrated, sadly, a principle of the first Trump administration and that is you rise to the level of your sycophancy,” he said. “The bigger the sycophant, the higher you rise. He’s risen pretty high but that’s not what we’re looking for.”

Mr. Trump tapped Mr. Patel to be the FBI director, and if confirmed he would be replacing the current director, Christopher Wray, who announced last week that he would be resigning at the end of President Biden’s term next month.

Mr. Wray was also selected by Mr. Trump for the position during his first administration in 2017. His resignation cuts short his 10-year term.

Mr. Patel served in the first Trump administration in multiple roles, like chief of staff at the Defense Department, deputy Director of National Intelligence and senior director for counterterrorism at the National Security Council.

“Kash is a brilliant lawyer, investigator, and ‘America First’ fighter who has spent his career exposing corruption, defending Justice, and protecting the American People,” Mr. Trump said in a Truth Social post announcing his nomination.

“This FBI will end the growing crime epidemic in America, dismantle the migrant criminal gangs, and stop the evil scourge of human and drug trafficking across the Border,” he wrote. “Kash will work under our great Attorney General, Pam Bondi, to bring back Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity to the FBI.”

Mr. Patel met with Republican senators last week on Capitol Hill to discuss his plans for the FBI. Some GOP senators have already signaled their support for him.