'Settling political scores': NBC host grills GOP leader on Kash Patel's revenge tour
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) would not commit to voting against Kash Patel, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for FBI director, despite his vow to conduct a revenge tour against MAGA opponents.
During a Sunday interview on NBC, host Kristen Welker noted that Patel had written about getting retribution for several federal prosecutions of Trump.
"The expectation is, and as the leader of the Senate, that we're going to get the president his people as quickly as possible in the key positions where he wants them," Thune promised.
"Let me ask you about Kash Patel and his book," Welker said. "As you know, as has been reported, he has a list of 60 people he calls members of the so-called deep state."
"Are you certain that Kash Patel's priorities would be fighting crime, protecting national security rather than settling political scores?" the NBC host asked.
"I think that he understands what his mission would be if he is successful in getting confirmed to that position at the FBI," Thune replied without directly answering the question.
"The FBI is an agency that I think is in need of reform and needs a good makeover, so to speak, and probably a good amount of housecleaning when it comes to just the perception the American people have of it," he continued.
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"When you say you think he does understand the mission, does that mean, yes, you do think he will put national security ahead of settling political scores?" Welker pressed.
"Well, you know, in my conversations with him, and I've not talked a lot about the meetings that I've had, but I felt like he fully understood, I think, what is expected and I think what the president wants out of the agency," Thune opined cryptically. "And I feel, yeah, I feel confident that he gets what his job is going to be if he gets over there."
Watch the video below from NBC.