WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump announced Saturday night that he has picked Kash Patel as the next director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Patel, a Trump transition insider, has been one of Trump’s most visible and vocal allies, showing up at his criminal trial in Manhattan, perpetuating conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, reports Politico.
He worked as chief of staff to the secretary of Defence during the first Trump administration.
Trump, in a post to Truth Social, called Patel a “brilliant lawyer, investigator, and ‘America First’ fighter who has spent his career exposing corruption, defending Justice, and protecting the American People.”
“He played a pivotal role in uncovering the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, standing as an advocate for truth, accountability, and the Constitution,” the president-elect added, referring to the role Patel played as a staffer in crafting House Republican responses to the investigation into Trump and Russian interference in the 2016 election.
At the time, Patel was an aide to Republican Rep. Devin Nunes (Calif.), then the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, a position that helped raise his profile in Trump’s inner circle.
If confirmed, Patel will replace current FBI Director Chris Wray, whom Trump nominated in 2017 after firing James Comey, cutting his 10-year term short. Wray’s term is not set to expire until 2027, so Trump will have to fire Wray to install Patel, if Wray doesn’t resign first.
READ ALSO: Trump Threatens 100% Tariff if BRICS Countries Challenge Dollar
The FBI released a statement in response to the announcement, saying, “Every day, the men and women of the FBI continue to work to protect Americans from a growing array of threats. Director Wray’s focus remains on the men and women of the FBI, the people we do the work with, and the people we do the work for.
Patel was angling to be deputy director of the CIA, a position that would not have required Senate confirmation, unlike the FBI director post, which does. It’s unclear whether Patel, who is a divisive figure even among Trump loyalists, will have the votes needed in the Senate to be confirmed.
Earlier this month, one of the president-elect’s top advisers, Elon Musk, appeared to weigh in on Patel’s candidacy for the FBI job via X, the social media platform he owns. He responded with a “100” emoji to a top Trump ally’s tweet endorsing Patel for the job, reports CNN.
Patel in his 2023 book, “Government Gangsters: The Deep State, the Truth, and the Battle for Our Democracy,” Patel lambasted “crazed partisans” for hijacking “the law enforcement apparatus” against Trump.
Patel’s book heavily criticizes what he refers to as “the deep state” – an amorphous term he says includes elected leaders, journalists, Big Tech tycoons and “members of the unelected bureaucracy” – calling it “the most dangerous threat to our democracy.”
