‘Out For Revenge’: NY Democrat Warns ‘Dangerous’ Kash Patel Was Picked to ‘Weaponize’ Government Against Trump’s Enemies

Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) joined CNN on Monday to discuss President Joe Biden’s pardon of his son Hunter and was pressed by anchor Brianna Keilar if Biden has now himself helped to discredit federal law enforcement.

The interview began with Keilar playing an old clip of Goldman saying he believed Biden would not pardon his son based on his previous statements.

“I hear what you’re saying about the Kash Patel appointment, but, you know, you took him at his word. So what does that feel like, knowing that he’s gone back on it?” Keilar asked.

“Well, as I said, I’m disappointed that after the plea fell through and it became clear about why it did, including Republican congressional intervention in this case, which made this case very unique and very different from any other case, I think that we all perhaps, I should have as well, recognized that this is not the normal prosecution,” Goldman replied, adding:

I said many times that if Hunter Biden were not Hunter Biden, he would never be charged with these crimes. And when you start to see what Donald Trump is planning to do with his Department of Justice and with his FBI, and the degree to which Hunter Biden has already been shamelessly attacked as a private citizen by Republicans, I certainly understand why the president felt like this miscarriage of justice should not carry forward and that he should not be at risk of retributive prosecution for political reasons, which is not the proper way to execute our rule of law.

“Do you think that President Biden’s pardon of his son may actually put some pressure on some Senate Republicans who have concerns about Kash Patel being FBI director, that it may actually pressure them to confirm him?” Keilar followed up.

“I don’t really see how one thing would have anything to do with the other. I find it pretty ironic and hypocritical that so many Republicans have seemed to find the rule of law through Joe Biden’s pardoning of Hunter and are happily ignorant of the rule of law when it comes to Donald Trump and everything that he has done,” Goldman replied, adding:

But Kash Patel is a danger because he is unqualified and because he is out for revenge on behalf of Donald Trump. And that is not who we should have leading what should be a nonpartisan, apolitical FBI that has a ten-year term for a reason so that it is not in line with the political process. So Kash Patel is a danger separate and apart from anything having to do with Hunter Biden’s pardon. But it is yet another example of how Donald Trump is a danger to our rule of law and why Joe Biden felt compelled to pardon Hunter.

“I guess there’s a question of I mean, listen, the things you are alleging, a lot of people will agree with you on that. There are even some Republicans who may agree with your ideas there about Donald Trump, the norms that he’s broken. And the question then becomes, do you respond to the breaking of norms by either breaking other norms or by breaking your promise, which is certainly in this case, something Biden did? So what do you say to that?” Keilar pressed.

“Yeah. And that’s why I am. I don’t think that and you haven’t heard me say that Joe Biden is justified in pardoning Hunter Biden because Donald Trump pardoned Roger Stone, who had incriminating information about him and Paul Manafort and Charlie Kushner. And, you know, the list goes on. That’s not why it’s okay, in my view, for Joe Biden to –” Goldman as Keilar jumped in:

So then to your point about what you said about Kash Patel or we’ve seen perhaps what Trump wants from his law enforcement arm, having picked Matt Gates. Obviously, that didn’t work out for him. But then Pam Bondi, someone who’s very loyal to him and whose independence has been questioned. Is it then, your belief that the Justice Department– I mean, the law enforcement, federal law enforcement, should Americans have faith in federal law enforcement now? Because it seems that this decision has brought that into question.

“I think what it brings it into question is the nominees that Donald Trump has put forward. Matt Gaetz, Pam Bondi, Kash Patel, Tulsi Gabbard. These are not people who are going to implement the rule of law. They have been picked to weaponize the federal government against Donald Trump’s enemies and his adversaries. And that is the risk to the rule of law. And that is why Joe Biden used his authority to protect his son from the weaponization,” Goldman replied.

“And I hear I hear your argument, then it sounds like you’re saying, yes, that Americans cannot have faith in federal law enforcement as it is implemented by these picks that Trump is making. I mean, is that a fair representation of your opinion on this?” asked Keilar.

“I think it’s yet to be seen. And certainly, I’m not going to put the cart before the horse. But based on the statements that people like Matt Gates, Pam Bondi, Kash Patel, and Donald Trump himself have made over the last couple of years, they have been very explicit about their desire to weaponize the Department of Justice for their own political purposes,” Goldman replied, adding:

I don’t give a single bit of credit to this BS coming from Republicans that Joe Biden and the Biden administration has weaponized the Department of Justice. We had an entire subcommittee for two years on this, and they didn’t show one example where there was any weaponization. This is projection and it is a distraction.

The reality is that Donald Trump tried to ten times or more weaponize the Department of Justice in his first administration, and he is now putting loyalists in their critical positions at the Department of Justice who will absolutely weaponize it even more. So the risk we have is, under a Trump presidency, that of the Department of Justice being weaponized, not at all under a Biden administration. And we, we including the media, cannot give any credit to that bogus argument.

Watch above via CNN.