SACRAMENTO, CA – The California Department of Justice reported this week CA Attorney General Rob Bonta, with a coalition of 20 attorneys general, sent a letter to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, urging further questioning of Kash Patel, President Trump’s nominee for FBI Director, ahead of a confirmation vote.
According to the California Department of Justice, the letter was addressed to Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley and Ranking Member Dick Durbin, citing “alarming reports of politically motivated firings” within the FBI and concerns over efforts to compile a list of agents involved in investigating the January 6th Capitol insurrection.
The CA DOJ quoted Bonta, who emphasized the critical role the FBI plays in public safety, stating, “The disturbing reports of the Trump administration’s politically motivated firings and retaliation against FBI agents and staff who worked investigations and prosecutions related to the January 6th Capitol riots emphasize the need for answers, and for an objective, nonpartisan FBI Director.”
Bonta criticized the administration’s actions, highlighting the recent pardons of more than 1,500 individuals involved in the Capitol insurrection, including those with serious criminal records.
“Retaliating against FBI agents and staff who did their duty is nothing short of an attack on our law enforcement and public safety,” Bonta stated.
The California DOJ reported the attorneys general warned these pardons, along with attempts to dismiss pending cases against January 6 insurrectionists, threaten public safety and highlight the urgent need for “an objective, nonpartisan FBI Director.” The letter also noted that at least one judge found these actions unjustified and harmful to public safety.
In the letter, the attorneys general stressed the importance of Patel addressing reports that “more than a dozen high-ranking FBI officials were fired” and that a list is being compiled of the Capital riots.
“It is critical for Mr. Patel to answer questions about this unprecedented attack on the FBI before Senators vote on his confirmation,” the letter stated, as reported by the DOJ.
The letter also raised concerns about reports that “the Administration plans to fire at least six high-ranking career FBI officials if they do not retire” and that Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove directed staff to compile a list of individuals involved in January 6 investigations.
The attorneys general warned, “If true, this is a purge of FBI employees,” wrote the California Department of Justice.
The California DOJ said the AG coalition argued that removing thousands of FBI agents would have “disastrous effects on public safety” and could increase risk related to fentanyl, organized crime, and terrorism.
“Purging over 6,000 FBI agents and staff will have disastrous effects on public safety across the country and will make our communities more dangerous,” the letter charged.
Beyond the FBI purge, the CA DOJ stated the letter condemned what it described as “unprecedented attacks on our country’s public safety” by the Trump administration, including the firing of U.S. attorneys, pardoning insurrectionists, and attempts to defund law enforcement nationwide.
The DOJ noted the attorneys general in their missive urged the Senate to demand answers from Patel before any confirmation vote, with the letter adding. “Now is the time for Congress to act,” emphasizing the need to “protect Americans and hold the Administration accountable.”
Joining California in the letter were the attorneys general from Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaiʻi, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.
