Fetterman: Patel pledged to not go after political enemies

Kash Patel, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for FBI Director, claimed he would not go after his political enemies to Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), despite Patel’s past claims that he would.

In an interview with Jonathan Karl on ABC’s “This Week,” Fetterman said that Patel told him he would not use the FBI to go after Trump's enemies, despite his comments vowing to go after such people.

“So I'm not going to go into detail, but he absolutely, — that's never going to happen,” Fetterman said when asked by host Jonathan Karl about Patel’s past comments pledging to go after political enemies. “That’s not it … that's what he claims.”

When Patel was nominated, a quote from him on a 2023 podcast interview with Steve Bannon was widely circulated. “We’re going to come after the people in the media who lied about American citizens, who helped Joe Biden rig presidential elections,” Patel told Bannon then. Patel's 2022 book, "Government Gangsters," listed 60 potential targets for a new Trump administration.

Fetterman, one of the few Democratic senators who has been meeting with Trump’s Cabinet picks, said he has no regrets about meeting with some of the controversial selections. He added that he learned a lot about Patel from his meeting, including that he used to be a public defender and his own family’s immigration story.

“There is going to be some [nominees] that I will vote yes, and there's some, maybe that I'll vote no,” Fetterman said. “But nobody can accuse me of just saying I had a closed mind, or I just said no because Trump picked this person, or whatever.”

Rep. John Curtis (R-Utah), who will be sworn into Sen. Mitt Romney’s Senate seat in the new year, said that he discussed Patel being blind to political affiliation in his new role.

“For me, one of the most important things that I needed to hear from Kash is that he would be blind to political affiliation, because I know some of the things that he said and that have been attributed to him,” Curtis said, also in an interview with Karl on “This Week.”

He added, “And I don't care if they’re Republicans or Democrats and we had some very specific conversations about that. And I wanted to make sure that he would be blind to that.”

When asked about Republicans claiming every senator should get in line with Trump and support his Cabinet picks because he has a mandate, Curtis said his son had brought up a similar concern at Thanksgiving.

“I did get more votes than him in Utah. Does that give me a mandate?’” Curtis said he told his son.

“I think people forget the 'advice' part of advice and consent. I can't advise the president if I haven't thoroughly talked to these people, if I haven't investigated everything about them, if I haven't learned their strengths and their weaknesses,” Curtis said. “And I think I owe that to the president. And I think if the better job I do, the better president he will be.”

Topics

Trump asks Supreme Court to delay TikTok ban to enable ‘political solution’

Legislation would force Chinese-owned ByteDance to divest video app by January 19 or be restricted in the US
Financial Times - 58m
Former director of both FBI, CIA cautions against Patel and Gabbard

The only man to lead both the FBI and CIA spoke out against Kash Patel and Tulsi Gabbard, two of President-elect Trump’s top intelligence picks, saying both positions require “complete independence ...
The Hill - 3h
Latest news on South Korea's deepening political chaos

South Korea's acting President Han Duck-soo has been impeached by the opposition party controlling the National Assembly. This comes weeks after President Yoon Suk Yeol's imposed martial law, ...
CBS News - 4h
Biden administration pledges additional military aid to Ukraine amid Russia war

Security assistance package in works as North Korean troops are deployed in Kursk after Putin-Kim agreement. The Biden administration is pledging to approve fresh military aid to Ukraine in the ...
The Guardian - 6h
Age and health concerns spark new debate on political leadership

As President Biden and former President Trump break age records, more people are asking how old is too old to serve in government. Health issues with lawmakers such as Texas Rep. Kay Granger, who ...
CBS News - 7h
South Korea’s second impeachment in two weeks is latest twist in political saga

Removal of acting president Han Duck-soo is part of a rancorous battle for the country’s constitutional future. For the fourth time this month, South Korea’s parliament has become the arena for a ...
The Guardian - 12h
Housing Market Remains Historically Unaffordable Going into 2025

Mortgage rates have climbed since the Fed began cutting interest rates.
Inc. - 13h
This Was the Year of the Influencer Political Takeover

Politicians fully embraced the creator economy in 2024, blurring the lines between punditry and journalism. By 2028, the lawmakers could become creators themselves.
Wired - 13h
South Korea Impeaches Acting President, Prolonging Political Upheaval

Han Duck-soo declined to make judicial appointments needed to advance the impeachment of his predecessor.
The Wall Street Journal - 15h
Former FBI and CIA head prods Senate to reject Patel, Gabbard

Politico - 1d
26 charts that helped explain 2024 in politics

The best charts 538 made in 2024.
ABC News - 1d
51-year-old man missing after going overboard during Caribbean cruise

A 51-year-old man went overboard from a Norwegian cruise ship Thursday during a trip to the Caribbean, and, despite an extensive search, he has not been found. Norwegian Cruise Line said the man ...
NBC News - 3h
In a Political Year, Some Deaths Spoke to the Struggles for Democracy

Among the notable figures who died in a sometimes polarizing 2024, many championed justice, equal rights and political freedom.
The New York Times - 6h
Ex-FBI and CIA head urges Senate to reject Trump picks Patel and Gabbard

William Webster writes in letter to senators that ‘the safety of the American people … depends on it’. William Webster, the only man to head both the FBI and the CIA, has urged the US Senate to ...
The Guardian - 9h
London-listed miner pauses Mozambique operation amid political unrest

Gemfields makes decision over ruby mining after groups ‘took advantage’ of situation to try to invade its site. The London-listed mining company Gemfields said it had temporarily halted its ruby ...
The Guardian - 12h
Raptors coach Darko Rajaković ejected after going berserk on officials

Rajaković certainly got his money's worth.
Yahoo Sports - 19h
Trump tells 37 people on death row with commuted sentences to ‘go to hell’

On Truth Social, president-elect also lashes out at Chinese troops in Panama Canal and Canadian PM Justin Trudeau. Donald Trump has told 37 people on death row who had their sentences commuted by ...
The Guardian - 1d
Most Americans want to reduce political news consumption due to fatigue: Survey

Americans feel like they should increasingly avoid political news content, according to a study published Thursday by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research at the University of Chicago. ...
The Hill - 1d
South Korea opposition moves to impeach acting president in new political twist

If motion is successful, it would be country’s second impeachment of a head of state in less than two weeks. South Korea’s opposition has said it has filed an impeachment motion against the acting ...
The Guardian - 1d
Trump’s Re-election Defines a New Era of American Politics

The Obama-Romney race in 2012 was the last in a familiar pattern in U.S. politics, which has since become defined by Donald Trump’s conservative populism.
The New York Times - 2d
What Keeps Us Going

Times Opinion staffers share how they escaped it all this year.
The New York Times - 2d
And the 2024 Braddies go to … Peter Bradshaw’s film picks of the year

Now the Guardian’s Top 50 countdowns, as voted for by the whole film team, have announced their No 1s, here are our chief critic’s personal choices, in no particular order • The 50 best films of ...
The Guardian - 2d
It's going to be a wet Christmas for much of the middle of the country

Some residents in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions woke up to a White Christmas Eve on Tuesday morning, though a white Christmas Day seems unlikely.
NBC News - 2d
Audi factory scheduled to close, and these models are going with it

Yahoo News - 3d
The political furor over Trump's FCC pick Brendan Carr is bogus

Brendan Carr is being disparaged by a variety of establishment corporate media outlets and media activist organizations, but among the wide array of appointments being made by the incoming ...
The Hill - 3d
If Netflix is going to play the Christmas Day game, the product better be good

The NFL gifted Netflix two playoff-implication games and a Beyoncé halftime show. Fans are hoping the streaming service doesn't deliver coal.
Yahoo Sports - 3d
How Trump’s tariffs can generate both economic and political reform in China

If Trump is allowed by Elon Musk to stick to his guns, he can apply to China the principle he announced for his domestic opponents: “Success will be our retribution.”
The Hill - 3d
UK political photographs of the year – in pictures

The Press Association’s political photographer, Stefan Rousseau, picks his best shots from the past 12 months Continue reading...
The Guardian - 3d
The migrants who face becoming political pawns again

Many of those bussed in by the Texas governor have been absorbed by Chicago but could now have their lives upturned again
Financial Times - 3d
Israel confirms it killed Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Iran in July

Defence minister Israel Katz threatens Houthi rebels in Yemen, saying the military will ‘decapitate their leadership – just as we did with Haniyeh’. Israel’s defence minister has confirmed that the ...
The Guardian - 3d
5 storylines that defined 2024: from the Politics Desk

With Donald Trump returning to the White House, Joe Biden exiting and a new Congress starting next month, here’s a rundown of the top political storylines that shaped 2024.
NBC News - 4d
Health Care Costs Are a Nightmare for Small Businesses—and They’re Going Up in 2025

Some business leaders say providing employees with health care coverage is a “nightmare,” while others forgo it entirely. Here’s how you can minimize your costs in the months ahead.
Inc. - 4d
Latest news on Honda-Nissan merger, Party City going out of business

Honda and Nissan are aiming to merge into what would be a powerful presence in the car industry. This comes as news emerges of Party City going out of business. CBS MoneyWatch correspondent Kelly ...
CBS News - 4d
Nordstrom to go private in $6.25 billion deal with Nordstrom family

Century-old department store Nordstrom has agreed to be acquired and taken private by Nordstrom family members and a Mexican retail group in a $6.25 billion deal.
CBS News - 4d
Nordstrom to go private in $6.25 billion deal with founding family, Mexican retailer

Nordstrom on Monday announced it will become a private company after it agreed to a buyout deal valued at roughly $6.25 billion from Nordstrom’s founding family and Mexican department store El ...
NBC News - 4d
This Was the Year Elon Musk Took Over Politics

The American public elected Donald Trump to run the federal government. His erratic patron seems to think the job is also his.
Wired - 4d
After Years of Going Big, American Car Buyers Are Downsizing

Sales of smaller cars and SUVs have been on the rise this year with more shoppers giving priority to affordability.
The Wall Street Journal - 4d
DHS secretary says a "terrific solution" to immigration was killed by "irresponsible politics"

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas tells "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" that the White House turned to Congress for a solution to the immigration surge, but "looking back now ...
CBS News - 5d
There are only 200 analog photobooths left in the world. Will they go extinct?

The photobooth officially turns 100 in 2025. There are only about 200 working analog booths left in the world. And a century in, they are surging in popularity with Gen Z, who are specifically ...
NBC News - Dec. 20