GOP senator presses Patel on FBI policy change: ‘Why would you get into bestiality?’

It’s not a topic often discussed in the halls of Congress, but Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) grilled FBI Director Kash Patel as he said he was just “trying to understand” a recent change in policy regarding bestiality.

The line of questioning on Tuesday was sparked by a shift in FBI hiring practices which lifted longtime bans on selecting new trainees if they have engaged in prostitution or bestiality.

The FBI has argued the changes were needed in order to not automatically disqualify a prospective agent who may have been forced into such scenarios through human trafficking.

But Kennedy said he was confused by the matter, asking on “what planet” this was suggested.

“We’re having a tough time attracting agents, good quality agents that we all can trust, because so many people, fairly or unfairly, think that in order to be an FBI agent now, your political point of view matters. Why would you even get into bestiality?” he asked.

“We are not into bestiality,” Patel responded with a slight smile.

Kennedy is known for adopting an unassuming posture during questioning that can be both effective and humorous.

“When you saw bestiality — I say this with respect to the person who recommended it — why didn’t you just say, ‘What planet did you parachute in from? Why do I want to lead with my chin and get into bestiality?’” Kennedy asked.

Patel acknowledged he had some reservations.

“That was my initial response, senator. But they then explained to me and showed me cases in which people were forced into it and had applied to the FBI, and so I thought they should be considered. It’s not an automatic disqualification. That’s all,” the director said.

Kennedy throughout the exchange had queries on the specifics.

“So… it’s not if you frequented a prostitute. It’s if you were a prostitute. If you were forced into it,” he said, before seeming skeptical about the same scenario applying to bestiality.

“Obviously, we are never going to hire the criminal,” Patel said, later joking “We have great canines.”

“So you disqualified the animal?” Kennedy asked, later adding “How do you involuntarily do [bestiality]?”

Patel said trafficking can involve all kinds of disturbing practices.

“In a lot of these cases, when human traffickers, who are some of the worst individuals on planet Earth, they don’t just traffic you for prostitution; they traffic you for degrading acts of all kinds, and they force you into that type of conduct,” he said at one point during the exchange.

“But you’re not telling us today that if a human being had sex with an animal, that they can still be an FBI agent,” Kennedy asked towards the end of his line of questioning.