00:00 Kash Patel, a Donald Trump ally who worked in his Justice Department, said on Tuesday
00:08 that if the former president is elected again, his administration will retaliate against
00:12 people in the media, criminally or civilly.
00:15 Patel, who was also chief of staff in the Defense Department and held a role on the
00:19 National Security Council, made the comment on Steve Vanon's podcast.
00:23 He said that in a second Trump administration, "We will go out and find the conspirators,
00:27 not just in government but in the media, over the 2020 election which Trump lost to Democrat
00:34 Joe Biden."
00:35 "We will go out and find the conspirators, not just in government but in the media,"
00:38 Patel said.
00:39 "Yes, we are going to come after the people in the media who lied about American citizens,
00:43 who helped Joe Biden rig presidential elections.
00:46 We are going to come after you, whether it's criminally or civilly.
00:49 We'll figure that out."
00:50 He emphasized the intention to pursue legal action, either criminally or civilly, using
00:54 the Constitution to address alleged crimes.
00:56 "We are actually going to use the Constitution to prosecute them for crimes, they said we
01:01 have always been guilty of, but never have."
01:04 Patel, who served as Trump's counterterrorism advisor on the National Security Council and
01:09 chief of staff to the acting Secretary of Defense, made these remarks during a podcast
01:13 hosted by Stephen K. Bannon, Trump's former strategist, discussing the possibility of a
01:18 second Trump presidency in 2025.
01:22 Patel rose from being a relatively unknown Capitol Hill staffer in the early days of
01:27 the Trump administration to becoming one of Trump's most trusted aides and influential
01:32 national security officials.
01:34 Despite facing opposition to a proposed appointment as deputy director of the CIA or the FBI,
01:38 Patel remained closely associated with Trump even after leaving the government.
01:42 Patel served as the former chief of staff to acting Secretary of Defense Christopher
01:45 Miller and is responsible for leading the Secretary's mission at the department.
01:49 He also served as deputy assistant to the president and senior director for counterterrorism
01:53 at the National Security Council.
01:54 Before joining the NSC, he served as the National Security Advisor and senior counsel for the
01:58 House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
02:01 Since leaving government service, Patel has leveraged his Trump-insider status, engaging
02:05 in activities such as selling merchandise online and writing a children's book.
02:09 Notably, he has filed defamation suits against media outlets and established a fundraising
02:13 entity to fight the deep state and support lawsuits on behalf of individuals he claims
02:18 have been defamed by the fake news mafia.
02:20 Patel was a guest at Trump's kickoff for his 2024 presidential campaign last year at his
02:25 Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
02:27 In June, he attended Trump's speech at his Bedminster resort.
02:31 Following the former president's appearance in court on federal charges, he mishandled
02:35 classified documents.
02:36 [music]
02:38 (upbeat music)
02:41 you
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