The Leadership Conference Condemns Senate’s Confirmation of Kash Patel

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Patrick McNeil, [email protected] 

WASHINGTON — Maya Wiley, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement after the Senate confirmed the nomination of Kash Patel to lead the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI):

“Qualification and competence are no longer required to lead a federal agency, including the nation’s top law enforcement agency. Being the nation’s top cop no longer requires being a law enforcer. Today in America, a majority of senators confirmed Kash Patel, allowing a threat to those who the president deems an enemy and to those who do not take a knee and bow to the whims and will of a president who is violating the law. It is beyond shameful. This confirmation is a veiled threat to people who have a viewpoint unpopular with the current regime or who seek to exercise or demand their rights.

“We — and the FBI — deserve a leader who will protect everyone’s rights and safety and who is committed to the facts, the rule of law, and the independence of the agency. Kash Patel lacks both the professional experience and temperament to lead a federal agency charged with investigating a range of civil and human rights violations, including hate crimes, voter intimidation and election-related crimes, human trafficking, police misconduct, and more.

“As a civil rights community, we know firsthand what it was like to have an ideological FBI that surveilled and infiltrated the civil rights movement and its leaders — most notably through its COINTELPRO operation that famously and shamefully targeted Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., student activists, and people fighting poverty. Name-calling, driving fear, and targeting the victims of crimes because of their viewpoints is a dark part of our past. We cannot allow it to again become our reality. Yet, based on Mr. Patel’s record and what we have already seen at the FBI in recent weeks, it is clear that the agenda of this administration is to seek retribution against perceived foes and target vulnerable communities. Our elected leaders must hold accountable Mr. Patel and the immense authority he now possesses at the helm of this powerfully important agency.

“Mr. Patel’s confirmation is even more appalling given disturbing reports about his foreign ties, conflicts of interest, and alleged involvement in recent FBI firings. The Senate’s failure to collectively demand a real investigation prior to his confirmation represents a gross abdication of their constitutional advice and consent responsibility. As the Senate continues to consider the president’s nominees, we demand that senators take this responsibility seriously and do better for their constituents and our country. As it stands, today’s disgraceful confirmation jeopardizes the integrity and independence of our nation’s top law enforcement agency. Our communities, our rights, and our democracy deserve better.”

Nearly 60 national organizations committed to civil and human rights wrote to the Senate in opposition to Kash Patel’s confirmation. Read the letter here. Following Patel’s confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, The Leadership Conference issued a memo detailing some of his troubling responses. Read it here.

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 240 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.

###