The Daily Populous Friday January 31st, 2025 day edition
Authored by democracydocket.com and submitted by MarcEElias

Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s choice to be director of the FBI, appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee for his confirmation hearing, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

On Thursday, Kash Patel — President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the FBI — sat through hours of questioning during his confirmation hearing in the U.S. Senate. Throughout the hearing, Patel refused to answer, or sidestepped, a number of questions about his loyalty to Trump, how he’d run the FBI and if he’d use the agency to punish the president’s enemies, as he previously promised.

But one question in particular stood out during Patel’s hearing: Who won the 2020 election? The question came from Hawaii Rep. Mazie Hirono (D) and Patel refused to answer it. “Did Donald Trump lose the 2020 election, yes or no?” Hirono asked. “President Biden’s election was certified, he was sworn in and he served as the president of the United States,” Patel answered.

Patel has a rich history of embracing far-right conspiracy theories and disinformation. He expressed agreement with the unhinged QAnon movement, promoted bogus supplements to help people “detox” from the COVID-19 vaccine and even published a children’s book that spread deep state and 2020 election conspiracy theories.

All of these are especially concerning for anyone who might run the FBI, but when it comes to voting and elections, the FBI plays a crucial, yet not widely known, role to keep elections safe. In Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation’s blueprint for an authoritarian administration, it calls for the FBI to be completely reformed — including a mandate to prohibit the agency from “engaging, in general, in activities related to combating the spread of so-called misinformation and disinformation by Americans who are not tied to any plausible criminal activity.” It’s a frightening mandate, especially at a time when the heightened threat of election-related violence and harassment of election workers is on the rise, thanks to the proliferation of disinformation.

Patel isn’t the only one of Trump’s cabinet picks who refused to say who won the 2020 election during their confirmation hearing. There were several moments during the confirmation hearing for Pam Bondi — Trump’s pick for attorney general — Jan. 15 where she similarly refused to acknowledge that Biden won the 2020 election.

With Patel at the helm of the FBI — someone who refuses to acknowledge the 2020 election results — there are serious concerns that the agency could be weaponized, not only to punish Trump’s political enemies but also to undermine election security in the next cycle.

Read more about Pam Bondi’s 2020 election comments here.

epicredditdude1 on January 30th, 2025 at 23:14 UTC »

Denying the 2020 election results is a job requirement for a cabinet position.

This isn't me making a joke, it was literally a requirement, as reported by the NYT.

Original_Coloradoan on January 30th, 2025 at 23:06 UTC »

“Mr. Patel. Who has been President in this country for the last 4 years”

“It was my understanding that there would be no math during the hearings.

Now, I am prepared to answer any domestic questions, perhaps something about the Deep State, DEI or Tucker Carlson’s favorite baked potato add on?”

JohnnyBonghit on January 30th, 2025 at 23:02 UTC »

You see exactly how much their rule of law is worth, and that'll be a precedent that trickles down