Kash Patel Thrills Indians – Greets Family With “Jai Shri Krishna”
Photo: Patel began the hearings by greeting his parents with “Jai Shri Krishna.”
India-West News Desk
WASHINGTON, DC – FBI director nominee Kash Patel seemingly distanced himself from former President Donald Trump’s blanket pardon of January 6 rioters during his Senate confirmation hearing, telling lawmakers he does not support commuting sentences for those who committed violence against law enforcement.
“I do not agree with the commutation of any sentence of any individual who committed violence against law enforcement,” Patel said on January 30. His statement marks one of the most significant breaks from a MAGA-aligned figure – but Patel will need both moderate and conservative support for confirmation.
Trump shocked Washington earlier this month when he issued approximately 1,500 pardons related to the Capitol attack, including to violent offenders. However, Patel reportedly arrived at his statement after he first redirected blame to President Joe Biden for issuing pardons in his final week in office, according to Fox News.
During his opening remarks, Patel began by honoring his Indian heritage, thanking his parents—Pramod and Anjana Patel—who flew from India for the hearing as well as his sister Nisha. He drew attention to their presences and greeted them with the Hindu greeting “Jai Shri Krishna.” A video clip also showed him touching their feet.
A former public defender in Florida, Patel earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Richmond and his law degree from Pace University in New York, with a certificate in international law from University College London. He later aligned himself with Trump’s agenda to dismantle the so-called “deep state,” writing a book that included a list of government officials to target.
Since leaving the first Trump administration, Patel has continued to promote false claims that the 2020 election was stolen and that bureaucrats worked to undermine Trump. He also authored a series of children’s books titled Plot Against the King, in which he cast himself as “Kash the Distinguished Discoverer,” a wizard-like figure and the king was ostensibly Trump.
Also Read: NYT Report: Kash Patel’s Responses To Senate Shed Light On Personal, Professional Life
loki
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There is no accountability. Say what they want to hear, get confirmed and then do whatever.
January 30, 2025Jon Hochschartner, Connecticut
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Where are the Democrats?
President Donald Trump is rapidly degrading the United States of America into a fascist hellscape. The nominal opposition leaders are nowhere to be found. As a socialist, I’ve never been overly fond of the Democratic Party, but I’m shocked by how little fight its most prominent members have in them at this crucial historical juncture.
On January 20, Democratic Senate Leader Chuck Schumer posted the following boilerplate nonsense on social media: “It is time to look to the future. The challenges that face America are many and great. The Senate must respond with resolve, bipartisanship, and fidelity to the working and middle class of this country.”
Bipartisanship! Is Schumer out of his mind? That very same day, Republican oligarch Elon Musk repeatedly gave a Nazi salute at a Trump inauguration rally. I’d be more open to the idea this was some kind of awkward faux pas if the richest man on Earth wasn’t simultaneously supporting fascist parties throughout the world.
There can be no bipartisanship with people like this. There can be no bipartisanship with people looking to dismantle what remains of the New Deal or Civil Rights legislation. There can be no bipartisanship with people seeking to force women out of public life and gay people back into the closet. Schumer should resign.
I assumed personal ambition would motivate some Democrats to distinguish themselves in their opposition to fascism, if only to make a name for themselves in advance of the 2028 presidential primary. With a few exceptions, however, that hasn’t been the case. Appeasement seems to be the preferred strategy throughout the party.
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is one such exception. It should come as little surprise then that Democrats voted for a 74-year-old cancer patient, Representative Gerry Connolly, to serve as the party’s top member on the House Oversight Committee, instead of the 35-year-old rising star with a national profile.
The existing Democratic organization needs to be replaced root and branch. I’d like it to move significantly leftward. I’d like it to champion the development of cellular agriculture, which I view as the most promising means of advancing animal welfare. But, at the very least, the party needs to be one interested in confronting fascism.
The truth is there can be no progress on any of our political priorities under a right-wing authoritarian state. Democratic officials who aren’t willing to fight the Republican administration, like the country depends on their winning, because it does, should step aside for leaders who will. We need wartime consiglieres.
God willing, there will be a free-and-fair presidential election in 2028. How prospective Democratic candidates behave now — in this moment of peril — will be front of mind for me as a primary voter. I’d rather eat my shoe than vote for a mealy-mouthed Democrat who was silent in the face of Trumpian terror or made peace with it.
I’m sick of feeling helpless. Part of this is unavoidable in the current circumstances. Republicans control the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government. But a significant part comes from being left adrift by Democratic leaders, who won’t use what little power voters have given them, for fear of violating long-forgotten norms.
Jon Hochschartner, Connecticut
January 31, 2025JAGJIT SINGH, CA
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Kash Patel, a clear threat democracy
February 3, 2025Kash Patel’s nomination as FBI to director is a clear and present danger to democracy. His extreme loyalty to Donald Trump, combined with his questionable actions and beliefs, would make him a disastrous choice for the position. Patel has consistently pushed conspiracy theories, including the false claim that the FBI played a role in the January 6th Capitol attack and that the 2020 election was stolen. He also has ties to far-right extremists and has exhibited a vindictive streak, publicly targeting political opponents and the media.
What is most troubling, however, is Patel’s unwavering devotion to Trump, which would undermine the independence that is essential for the FBI’s role in safeguarding American justice. Historically, FBI directors operate with a significant degree of autonomy, and Patel, a staunch Trump loyalist, would likely use that power to target individuals who oppose Trump, including election workers and former government officials involved in the Mueller investigation.
Furthermore, Patel’s history of advocating for extreme and debunked ideas, alongside his association with figures who minimize the Holocaust, raises serious concerns about his ability to lead the nation’s most powerful law enforcement agency. His extreme partisanship and malice toward those he deems Trump’s enemies make it clear that he would not act in the best interest of the country, but rather to advance Trump’s personal vendettas.
Republican senators must take a moment to reflect on their constitutional responsibilities before confirming Patel. As Alexander Hamilton wrote in Federalist No. 76, the Senate’s “advice and consent” power is crucial to prevent the appointment of individuals unfit for office based solely on personal loyalty. Kash Patel’s nomination is a threat to the integrity of the FBI and the democratic principles it upholds.
JAGJIT SINGH, CA
Fiona
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Wow Kash! Alumnus of the great university of Richmond and Pace University – the degree mills that sell their degrees to any Tom Dick or Patel who pays tuition. Such cream of the crop! Must be making the Patel clan and the nation really proud! After all he is the foot soldier of the totalitarian state that is riding under Trump and Musk’s watch. Just wow!
February 4, 2025Fiona
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Kash Patel? You are making all aspiring neonazis among the brown Indian Americans. Attaboy! Go for it!
February 4, 2025