During a Judiciary Committee hearing, U.S. Representative Brandon Gill (R) and FBI director Kash Patel addressed the rising issue of politically motivated violence in the United states.
Gill praised Patel for his efforts in "depoliticizing the FBI and getting it back to its original mission."
"Do you agree that we have a problem in the United States with Politically motivated violence?" the Texas Republican asked Patel. The FBI Director responded with "absolutely."
Highlighting troubling data, Gill noted, "A YouGov poll released just a few days ago stated that 25% of those who identify as very liberal believe that political violence can sometimes be justified." He contrasted this with "Only 3% of very conservative people said the same thing. One is far too many." He further expressed concern about the rhetoric shared over social media.
"Leftists are cheering on the murder of an iconic conservative political figure, Charlie Kirk," he warned.
He went on to condemn Representative Ilhan Omar's (D) recent social media post that referred to Charlie Kirk as "Dr. Frankenstein" and that "his monster shot him through the neck."
Gil called this "a reprehensible thing for a member of Congress to say."
When asked about the FBI's approach to these threats, Patel emphasized a need for partnerships with companies in the public space to accurately address the problem. "We need online partnerships with these companies in the public space, on these gaming sites, and on these social media sites," he suggested.
Patel stressed the importance of renewing laws that "allow private sector companies to report into the FBI without liability for criminal investigatory purposes."
This exchange echoed concerns over politcal violence shared by other Texas Representatives, such as Wesley Hunt, and the FBI's ongoing efforts to address it through collaboration with private sector partners.
