FBI Director Kash Patel told the Senate Judiciary Committee that the bureau has held 'bad actors' accountable for political weaponization under the Biden administration and made sure people tied to that conduct were no longer at the FBI.
Patel said the FBI looked at 'every individual' involved with the Catholic memo and what he called intentional misconduct in intelligence collection and production. The memo, from January 2023, targeted a Latin Mass congregation in Richmond, Virginia and was later rescinded.
Patel also said, 'In 2025, according to the Uniform Crime Report, we delivered the largest reduction in the murder rate in the history of America.' He added that the FBI has captured all 10 of the top 10 most wanted fugitives on its list, correcting an earlier reference to nine.
The hearing also turned to the Southern Poverty Law Center. Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., referred to a federal grand jury indictment charging the SPLC with wire fraud, false statements and money laundering offenses. Patel said the FBI probe of the group is 'very much ongoing.' The SPLC has said the case is meritless and politically motivated.
Democrats used the hearing to hammer Patel's leadership. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., called him the 'least qualified and most partisan FBI director in our nation's history.' Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., said, 'We don't have an FBI director. We have a lackey.'
Why it matters: Patel is trying to recast the FBI as an agency focused on violent crime and accountability, not internal politics. The political fight over that reset is now front and center in the Senate.
The bottom line: for supporters, this is about restoring law enforcement discipline. For critics, it is another proof point that the bureau remains a partisan battlefield.