FBI Director Kash Patel to testify before Senate panel

Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin, the Senate Judiciary Committee's ranking member, criticized Patel's handling of the FBI ahead of the hearing, pledging that Democrats will hold him accountable.

"Today, we find ourselves in a position where the FBI is expending immense resources to protect President Trump and deliver retribution to his enemies — but is diverting resources away from protecting the safety, security, and rights of ordinary Americans and their families," Durbin said in a statement. "During the Judiciary Committee's oversight hearing, Senate Democrats will hold Director Patel accountable for his failed leadership."

At the hearing, Democrats are expected to question Patel about a range of recent controversies at the FBI — including the departures of hundreds of staff from the bureau, the Justice Department's investigations into President Trump's political foes, the administration's immigration policies, the Epstein files and Patel's own use of FBI resources.

The FBI announced last month that violent crime in the U.S. dropped in 2025 at the fastest rate on record, with the nation's murder rate falling 18.1% to a decades-long low.

The Trump administration has touted those figures, linking them to the administration's hardline strategy on crime. In an event on Long Island to announce the results of the FBI's crime report last month, President Trump called them the "best numbers anybody's ever seen on crime."

Some experts note that crime rates are on a multi-year slide since spiking during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the reasons for the current decline are tough to pin down — especially since they have appeared in a range of cities with different political leadership and different approaches to law enforcement.

During his time at the FBI's helm, Patel has emphasized tackling violent crime and assisting with the Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigration . The agency has traditionally had a broad remit, including violent and organized crime as well as national security and white-collar investigations.

The FBI has lost hundreds of employees through firings, retirements and resignations since the start of the Trump administration. Amid those departures, the FBI has adjusted some of the standards it uses when it conducts background checks on would-be federal agents and other bureau personnel.

Last month, CBS News reported the bureau has shifted hiring standards for job applicants who have in some cases admitted to hiring sex workers or stolen from an employer, as well as instances of animal cruelty and bestiality prior to the applicant turning 18.