WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump has selected Kash Patel to head the FBI, closing one of his remaining presidential appointments two months before taking office and ending the term of current director Christopher Wray. His term was in jeopardy before it expired.
“Mr. Kash is a brilliant lawyer, investigator, and ‘America First’ fighter who has spent his career exposing corruption, defending justice, and protecting the American people,” Trump said Saturday night. wrote Truth Social.
“He played a pivotal role in debunking Russia, Russia, Russian disinformation, and served as a champion of truth, accountability, and the Constitution,” he continued.
“This FBI will end America’s growing crime epidemic, dismantle immigrant criminal organizations, and stop the evil scourge of cross-border human and drug trafficking.” He will work under Bondi to restore loyalty, courage, and integrity to the FBI.
The announcement comes after years of conflict with Wray, whom Trump appointed as director in August 2017 after firing James Comey.
Mr. Wray drew the ire of the president-elect over what the 78-year-old Trump viewed as a political investigation against him. That included the Mar-a-Lago attack, where he was later indicted on suspicion of storing classified documents, and he also questioned whether Trump had been subjected to a riot. He was shot in the ear by a would-be assassin at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
President Trump claimed that the FBI director’s comments proved that “he knows nothing about the terrorists and other criminals that are flowing into our country at record levels.”
The former and future president also accused Wray of “lying to Congress” about his knowledge of President Joe Biden’s cognitive and physical decline.
Ray’s 10-year term does not expire until 2027, but he would have to resign or be fired to fill Patel’s void.
“Every day, FBI employees continue to work to protect the American people from a wide range of growing threats,” the FBI said in a statement to CBS.
“Director Wray remains focused on the men and women of the FBI, the people we work with, and the people we serve.”
long time supporter
Mr. Patel has extensive experience as a former public defender and then attorney in the National Security Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, having served in multiple intelligence and national security roles in the first administration of the President-elect.
He is seen as a top candidate by the MAGA camp, which hopes to bring about change at the station and reverse its Trump-era record of targeting conservatives.
The New York native is known for his deep loyalty to President Trump, even though he served on the National Security Council, as a senior adviser to the acting director of national intelligence, and then as the president’s acting chief of staff. , which makes it a target for the left. US Secretary of Defense.
Patel, who must be confirmed by the Senate to become FBI director, opposed the investigation into President Trump and Russian interference in 2016 and has long opposed government overreach in how federal agents monitor Republicans. He is one of the leading Republicans.
He plans to do so by dismantling the Justice Department, firing the “top ranks” of intelligence agencies, including the FBI, and prosecuting “to the fullest extent of the law” anyone who “abuses human rights in any way.” He writes about the need to conduct a thorough review. Authority for political purposes. ”
“The FBI is completely compromised and will continue to be a threat to the public unless drastic action is taken,” Patel wrote in his book, “Government Gangsters,” which Trump said will be used in his next term. He praised it as a “blueprint” for the president. .
Patel said on Thursday’s podcast that President Trump could “uncover documents that these people have been writing for decades and excuse (their) corrupt behavior.”
“He came in there and told Mr. Epstein, I’m going to give them a list, and maybe P. Diddy’s list.” An all-out racketeering and sex trafficking indictment.
That loyalty has infuriated Democrats, and countless speakers have appeared on leftist networks to disparage him.
Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe warned Patel on Thursday, arguing on CNN that “no part of the FBI’s mission is safe, even with Kash Patel in a leadership position at the FBI.” did.
McCabe, who was audaciously forced out of office by President Trump just 26 hours before leaving office in 2018, said he had “no experience in the organization or knowledge of the work involved or the scope of his authority. I can’t imagine that an outsider can perform adequately.” .
McCabe clashed with the 45th president over the FBI’s Trump-Russia collusion investigation, pursued the debunked Steele dossier, and was fired as acting director for leaking confidential information about the case to journalists.
While these warnings initially raised some concerns about his credibility in media reports, Patel’s supporters point to his work in the Justice Department and national security field as evidence that he is the best person for the job. He points out his long career list.
“Despite media reporting concerns about his confirmation, he has a record of accomplishments in the fields of counterterrorism, national defense, intelligence and law,” one person close to the transition team told the Post. “Look at his resume. This person is very qualified for this job.”
Patel won early support from Trump confidant Elon Musk, who will soon become co-director of the new administration’s Office of Government Efficiency, but Musk suggested the role to Patel in a post on Mr. He then expressed his support for Mr Patel. A full-time “Declassification Office” to increase transparency in the federal government.
“Good idea,” replied the Tesla, SpaceX, and X owner.
Still, the selection of sometimes controversial figures could shock Washington. There was a lot of uproar last week when President Trump selected former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) to be attorney general, before being removed from consideration after a meeting on Capitol Hill.
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), and former acting director of national intelligence Richard Grenell were also considered for FBI director.
The newspaper has reached out to Trump and Vance’s transition team for comment.
