United States Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel is set to face the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, when Democrats are expected to grill him over his leadership, use of taxpayer funds for personal travel and claims that arrests were imminent related to the 2020 election.
Republicans will likely ask about probes into the federal investigation of attempts to overturn that presidential election, an issue Republican committee chair Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa has said is a top priority for the committee.
Tuesday’s appearance comes days after Joe DiGenova, who had been leading an investigation scrutinising several of Trump’s foes and that sought to prove the president was the victim of a criminal conspiracy, abruptly resigned last week.
Patel will likely receive questions over the implications and reasons behind DiGenova’s departure.
It will be Patel’s first appearance before the Senate since May, when Democrats pressed him over a media report that the FBI director’s excessive drinking had interfered with his ability to lead the premier US law enforcement agency.
