BOMB: Kash Patel Raised Money For Violent J6ers, Then Lied About It
It’s pretty tragic when you have to ask yourself, “Which one of the nominees before the Senate is the absolute worst?” This time out there’s a lot of competition for that title. Right now the three top placeholders for that dubious distinction are RFK, Jr., with Tulsi Gabbard and Kash Patel in hot pursuit for the title. Patel is a real piece of work, which is not new information. But this is: Patel raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the defense of J6ers, including violent offenders who combatted police.
At least seven recipients of the funds were convicted of acts of violence, including several who were convicted of such acts against police officers, according to interviews, public records, and media reports.
Patel has repeatedly denied that any of the funds he raised were provided to insurrectionists convicted of violent crimes.
On March 21, 2023, for example, Patel told the Gateway Pundit that any “net profits” from his fundraising would go “to financially assist as many Jan. 6 families as we can, and all families of nonviolent offenders will be considered.”
But one person who played an integral role in the fundraising efforts told me that there was no prohibition of providing funds to violent offenders.
“People were more likely to be funded if you had a certain lawyer,” said this person.
A second person involved in the fundraising effort recalled that there was absolutely “no vetting of any kind” of fund recipients to determine if they were convicted of violent crimes.
That many of the January 6th rioters who received funds from Patel’s non-profit were violent felons was first reported by the Bulwark. It has not been previously reported that Patel lied to the public while denying this was the case.
As reported by Thomas Joscelyn and Norman Eisen in the Bulwark:
Earlier this month, Special Counsel Jack Smith’s office identified six members of the “J6 Prison Choir” in its final report on the 2020 election interference case against Trump… All six of the January 6th convicts listed in footnote 139 of Smith’s report have pleaded guilty to assaulting law enforcement officers on January 6th and were sentenced to prison.
They are: Julian Khater (sentenced to 80 months in prison), Ryan Nichols (63 months), Jorden Mink (51 months), Ronald Sandlin (63 months), Barton Shively (18 months), and James McGrew (78 months).It’s very clear that Trump world was just fine with the fact that crazy MAGAs beat up the cops, tazed them, clubbed them, bear sprayed them. They’re fine with that. And Kash Patel, who would be the next Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation is fine with that.
Hopefully this will come up at his Senate hearing. Maybe he will have a good reason for MAGAs attacking police officers — and getting released. You well remember that J.D. Vance said that none of the violent offenders would be released and then at the last minute said, “Fuck it. Release ’em all.”
Then there was a stone silence as to why Trump changed his mind. My take is that Trump figured that he had all the power in the world now, just go ahead and exercise it. And it’s good spectacle. Remember the one guarantee we made to you here on this blog about this administration is that you will see spectacle like you’ve never seen, unless you happen to be reincarnated from a past life in Rome. They were known for this level of debauchery and excess.
How far down can we sink is the question? We’ve already seen Pete Hegseth confirmed and the first thing he did was start a vendetta against retired General Mark Milley. What might Kash Patel do at the helm of the FBI? What secrets would Tulsi Gabbard give or sell to the right parties?
We’re asking these questions but the truth is that Republican senators should be asking them. First of themselves and then of the nominees.
Let’s not give up in advance. RFK Jr. had a bloody Senate hearing today. He may not just waltz into that cabinet post. Time after time he was confronted with questions about his outrageous comments. He denied making them and then transcripts and videos were provided. Don’t count on Kennedy making the cut — although yes, I’m as cynical as you are at this point but we were spared Matt Gaetz and that’s something. Maybe these other two disgraceful nominees, Gabbard and Patel, won’t make the cut either.
