Kash Patel is an uncommon selection for F.B.I. director in some ways — together with that he as soon as asserted his Fifth Modification proper to not incriminate himself whereas being questioned earlier than a grand jury.
In tv and movies, “taking the Fifth” is commonly a dramatic excessive level within the plot. In public life, asserting the precise to not incriminate oneself may be devastating to a fame, notably for presidency officers.
Invoking the Fifth Modification, nonetheless, just isn’t an request for forgiveness or wrongdoing, and lots of legal professionals advise shoppers to claim the precise, notably in situations the place it’s unclear what investigators try to show. In Mr. Patel’s case, he invoked it earlier than a grand jury analyzing whether or not Mr. Trump mishandled nationwide safety secrets and techniques in repeatedly refusing to return categorised paperwork.
On Wednesday, Democratic senators raised considerations about Mr. Patel’s testimony, together with his assertion of the Fifth Modification, underscoring that his non-public remarks could be a degree of competition throughout his affirmation hearings.
The lawmakers stated they need to be advised of any related details about Mr. Patel contained in a report by Jack Smith, the particular counsel who investigated Mr. Trump. Presently, the portion of the report coping with the categorised paperwork discovered at Mr. Trump’s Florida resident stays a intently held secret throughout the Justice Division.
Mr. Patel, a former federal prosecutor, public defender and congressional aide, was questioned in 2022 about his public claims that Mr. Trump had by some means ordered the paperwork declassified.
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