The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a confirmation hearing at 9:30 a.m. for Patel’s nomination to be FBI Director.
Patel has drawn heavy criticism from Democrats for being too loyal to Trump, for trafficking in conspiracy theories about the 2020 election and the FBI’s actions surrounding Jan. 6, and for threatening to dismantle the agency he is nominated to lead, will face a barrage of questions from Democrats, and likely support from Republicans.
The hearing is expected to last about four hours.
Democrats know the reality they are facing: that Thursday’s hearing is not to convince Democrats that Patel is right for the job, but to convince potentially skeptical Republicans that Patel would be dangerous as the director of the FBI. It’s a goal that Democrats are increasingly pessimistic about achieving given the success of other nominees that many of them oppose, including Pete Hegseth’s confirmation as defense secretary.
After opening statements, senators are expected to have seven minutes each for the first round of questioning. Senators will have three minutes each for a second round of questioning.
