Patel Defends FBI's Loosened Bestiality Hiring Rule
Patel Defends FBI's Loosened Bestiality Hiring Rule
The News
FBI Director Kash Patel defended the bureau's loosening of hiring requirements on bestiality and prostitution at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday, saying the change was meant to let victims of those acts apply for FBI jobs without being automatically disqualified.
The questioning came from both sides. Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the committee's ranking Democrat, grilled Patel on the policy, and Republican Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana pressed him on it afterward — asking, per Raw Story's account of the exchange, "Why did you do this?"
Reporting before the hearing, Forbes wrote that Democrats were asking Patel why the FBI could reportedly consider applicants who had engaged in bestiality under the revised standards.
Timeline
Ahead of Patel's scheduled testimony, Democrats publicly ask why the FBI's revised hiring standards could allow the bureau to consider applicants who reportedly engaged in bestiality.
Patel testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Durbin questions him on the dropped restriction; Kennedy then presses him on the same point, and the exchange goes around in circles, according to Raw Story.
Patel publicly defends the change, saying it was designed so victims of bestiality and prostitution are not shut out of employment automatically.
Reactions
Patel's defense was consistent across outlets: CTV News and The Independent both reported him saying the loosened requirements were meant to enable victims of those acts to apply for employment without fear of automatic disqualification. Mediaite reported he insisted the much-criticized rules were intended to help victims of sex trafficking and bestiality.
Kennedy, a Republican, was not satisfied by the explanation, according to Raw Story, which described the senator as baffled and the exchange as going around in circles.
Durbin, the panel's top Democrat, opened the line of questioning on the policy.
The Daily Mail reported Patel fielded a range of tough questions from lawmakers about his conduct as FBI leader, with the hiring standards among them.
What's Next
The hiring standards are now on the record before the Senate Judiciary Committee, and senators from both parties have signaled they are not done with the question. Expect follow-up written questions to Patel and continued pressure on the FBI to spell out exactly what the revised standards do and do not disqualify.
Poll
Should the FBI's hiring rules automatically disqualify anyone involved in bestiality?
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