President Donald Trump’s pick to run the FBI, Kash Patel, downplayed his past promotion of right-wing conspiracy theories and his pledges to pursue retribution against Trump’s opponents on Thursday at his combative Senate confirmation hearing.

Kash Patel, President Trump's pick for FBI director, faced members of the Senate Judiciary Committee in his confirmation hearing Thursday.

Utah Sen. Mike Lee, who sits on the powerful Judiciary Committee and has backed his nomination, defended Patel from claims he would weaponize the agency against the president’s foes.

Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the FBI, faces what could be a contentious confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, with questions expected over his experience level, brash rhetoric and concerns he would deploy the bureau to target the president’s foes.

Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the FBI, is insisting to deeply skeptical Democrats that he did not have an “enemies list” and that the bureau under his leadership would not seek retribution against the president’s adversaries or launch politically motivated investigations.

President Donald Trump’s pick to head up federal law enforcement has faced criticism for maintaining a list of so-called “deep state” figures, including former President Joe Biden, and has sparked worries that he would prosecute political enemies.

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.

The onslaught of claims, promises and testy exchanges did not occur in a political vacuum. The whirlwind day — Day 10 of the new White House — all unfolded as Trump himself was ranting about how diversity hiring caused the tragic airplane-and-helicopter crash outside Washington’s Ronald Reagan National Airport.

A key GOP senator said he was exposing provocative internal emails from the FBI. A closer look, however, suggested there were no great revelations.

In recent weeks, the FBI Agents Association urged Patel not to punish agents investigating Trump and the January 6 attack on the Capitol. Fear in the bureau escalated this week after Trump fired a number of career Justice Department lawyers who worked on his criminal cases, just the latest move in his gutting of the federal workforce.