Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the chair of the Judiciary Committee, dismissed Durbin’s new charges as “hearsay.” He expressed no interest in gathering more information and rejected Democrats’ call for a second confirmation hearing where they could ask Patel directly about the firings of FBI officials.

President Donald Trump's pick to head the FBI, Kash Patel, won the approval of the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday, clearing the way for a vote to confirm a director who has called for a radical reshaping of the nation's top law enforcement agency.

The Senate voted Tuesday along party lines to advance the nomination of Kash Patel, President Donald Trump's pick for FBI director, setting up a final vote on the Trump ally.