Kash Patel, former Trump administration official and nominee for FBI director, clashed with Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) during a heated Senate confirmation hearing on Thursday. Schiff, a longtime Trump antagonist, attempted to corner Patel over a song recorded by January 6 inmates that features President Donald Trump reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.
Pressing Patel to admit direct involvement in the song’s production, Schiff met firm resistance, leading to a tense back-and-forth. “Justice for All” was the song featuring Trump reciting the Pledge of Allegiance alongside the J6 Prison Choir singing the national anthem
Schiff opened his questioning by demanding Patel confirm whether he still stood by his previous testimony denying any role in the recording. “I did not have anything to do with the recording. I did not have anything to do with the recording. Do you stand by that testimony, Mr. Patel?” Schiff asked.
Patel stood firm. “Senator, what I said was I didn’t do the recording.” Schiff then attempted to catch Patel in a contradiction, playing a clip from Patel’s appearance on Steve Bannon’s podcast.
“If you had nothing to do with it, Mr. Patel, why did you tell Steve Bannon and all his listeners that you did?” Schiff pressed, referencing Patel’s description of the song’s production.
Patel remained composed. “That’s why it says ‘we’ as you highlighted.”
Schiff tried to double down. “Yeah, and you’re part of the ‘we,’ right? When you say ‘we,’ that includes you, doesn’t it, Mr. Patel?”
“Not in every instance,” Patel responded, refusing to let Schiff twist his words.
Visibly irritated, Schiff attempted to make an issue out of Patel’s phrasing. “Well, that’s new. So when you said ‘we,’ you didn’t really mean you. Is that your testimony?”
Patel, unshaken, fired back. “Not unless you have a new definition for the word ‘we.’” Schiff continued his attacks, shifting to Patel’s promotion of the song, which climbed to the top of the Billboard charts.