Kash Patel, Donald Trump's pick to head the FBI, will face the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday morning for his first confirmation hearing.

Patel, a Trump loyalist who has railed against the FBI over its investigations into the president and claimed that Jan. 6 rioters were mistreated by the Justice Department, was picked in November to replace Christopher Wray.

Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s nominee for FBI director, will have to defend an extensive history of controversial remarks and actions to a skeptical Senate committee.

Mr Patel is especially keen on pursuing leakers and their friends in the media. “When you have an underlying illegality committed by a government agent, anyone that participates in that illegality can and should be charged,” Mr Patel has said. He has also suggested “clawback mechanisms” for the money that news outlets make “by printing lies”.

Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the FBI, has for years battled US intelligence agencies over the handling of some of the government’s most sensitive national security secrets.

Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s nominee for FBI director, is scheduled to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee for a confirmation hearing Thursday.

An Associated Press review of more than 100 podcasts that Kash Patel hosted or on which he was interviewed reveals how Patel has habitually denigrated the investigations into Trump.

All the latest breaking news on Kash Patel. Browse Newsweek archives of photos, videos and articles on Kash Patel.

Kash Patel, President Donald Trump's pick to lead the FBI, will encounter deeply skeptical questioning from Democratic senators Thursday about his loyalty to the president and stated desire to overhaul the bureau as he faces a high-stakes hearing that will help determine his path toward confirmation.

Patel said that if confirmed, he intends to collaborate closely with the Justice Department to bring safety and relief to American communities.

The Republican Party of 2025 is now the political home of dissent, challenge, and hope that a system as broken as ours can be fixed. These are the disrupter DNI, HHS and FBI picks chosen by our disrupter president, Donald J. Trump. Now let’s see what the new “Hope and Change” party might do.