(The Center Square) – He brought the Bingo game to the committee hearing, and on Thursday, North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis was unapologetically celebrating Kash Patel.
Accurately predicting “enemies list” and “deep state” would be in the narrative against the 44-year-old Patel, Tillis stood with 50 other Republicans in backing the FBI director nomination. President Donald Trump’s choice answered questions from at least 60 senators before his Judiciary Committee hearing, the toughest of which Tillis says he never skipped.
“In my 10 years in the Senate, I hope I have established a reputation for being fair, doing my homework, and taking tough positions that have been met with harsh criticism,” Tillis said on Jan. 30 in the nomination introduction. “Heck, I’ve been censured by my party for taking tough positions, and I stand by those positions today and my position to support Kash Patel.”
Some believe, after Patel’s successful win Thursday, he’ll face more backlash and a primary in 2026. Tillis is undeterred. He’s on record of having received death threats in years past, and multiple publications say he got one prior to providing a key vote on Jan. 24 for Defense Department Secretary Pete Hegseth.
“I’ve asked him difficult questions and I’ve urged him to reach out to members across the aisle,” Tillis said of Patel in giving the nominee his “strongest recommendation for his confirmation.”
Patel was confirmed 51-49, with Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska joining 45 Democrats and two independents voting against him.
North Carolina’s senior senator said Patel advocates for justice and transparency. Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, on Wednesday said the fear by Democrats that Patel would do as they did in power, using lawfare against political rivals, was “unfounded.”
Or, just marks on Bingo cards.
For one of them, under “B” was FBI HQ/Hoover Building, Carter Page, Pam Bondi, Mar-a-Lago and Deep State. Under “I” was Truth Social, Jeffrey Clark, Nunes Memo, King Donald/Hillary Queenton and pedophile/cannibal.
The middle “N” column had the American flag in the “free” spot with MAGA and enemies list above, Q-Anon and Benghazi below.
The “G” column was Bill Barr, 2,000 miles, retribution, plot against the king and Liz Cheney. And the “O” was Section 702, government gangsters, Steve Bannon, dark money and pardons.
Like the regular game, the arrangements were different for other cards floating around. Yet all pointed to the usual suspects Grassley, Tillis and Republicans dismissed.
At the hearing Tillis held it up and said, “Some may view this as an unserious caricature and not appropriate for this committee, but sadly I consider it a serious caricature of what I expect to be witnessed today.
“I think we will have words like ‘enemies list’ and ‘deep state,’ but the fact of the matter is some people will be here to substantiate a false narrative. At worst, they may just be going through an unfounded litany of quote and half quote and half-truths.”
Backed by the Grand Old Party, Patel beat it back. And Tillis had cause for his Bingo! celebration.
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., shakes hands with Kash Patel. On Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, Patel was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the new director of the FBI.
This article was originally published at www.thecentersquare.com
Author
