FBI Pick Patel Breaks With Trump on J6 Pardons

Kash Patel, nominee to be the next FBI director, is known for his fierce loyalty to President Trump. But early in his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday, Patel split with Trump on a high-profile issue—the sweeping pardons issued to all those in the Capitol riot, including those convicted of assaulting police officers.

• "I do not agree with the commutation of any sentence of any individual who committed violence against law enforcement," Patel said when asked by Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin about the pardons, reports CBS News. It's the most high-profile "rebuke" of the pardons within MAGA to date, notes Axios.

• Patel also sought to distance himself from the fringe right. "I have publicly … rejected outright QAnon baseless conspiracy theories or any other baseless conspiracy theories," he said. "They must be addressed head-on with the truth." When questioned about appearing on podcasts with conspiracy theorists, Patel said he did so only to help debunk false claims, reports the New York Times, which suggests the assertion is at odds with his previous statements.

(More Kash Patel stories.)