Key ally Patel expected to be grilled over whether allegiance to president would mean end to bureau’s independence
Kash Patel, nominated by Donald Trump to be the next FBI director, is expected to face scrutiny on Thursday about whether his loyalty to the president would end the independence of the nation’s premier law-enforcement agency from White House political pressure.
The Senate confirmation hearing, scheduled for 9.30am, comes at a fraught moment for the FBI as its parent agency, the justice department, has been roiled by the demotion of scores of top officials and prosecutors deemed to be insufficiently trustworthy to carry out Trump’s agenda.