FBI Director-designate Kash Patel on Wednesday expressed frustration with Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who repeatedly cited excerpts of his remarks and posts that he deemed misleading.

Klobuchar quoted excerpts from Patel's media posts and appearances discussing the "deep state" and the individuals whom he deemed to be members of it. Specifically, Klobuchar addressed whether Patel held a personal vendetta against former Attorney General Bill Barr for opposing his elevation to a different post.

"If the best attacks on me are going to be false accusations and grotesque mischaracterizations, the only thing this body is doing is defeating the credibility of the men and women at the FBI," he said.

"I stood with them here in this country, in every theater of where we have I was on the ground in service of this nation, and any accusations leveled against me that I would somehow put political bias before the Constitution or grotesquely unfair," Patel went on. "And I will have you reminded that I have been endorsed by over 300,000 law enforcement officers to become the next director of the FBI. Let's ask them."

Patel made the remarks during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee.