In what could prove to be another controversial cabinet pick for his second presidential term, Donald Trump has announced that he wants Kash Patel to run the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Patel, 44, is a long-time Trump loyalist. If approved, he will replace current director Christopher Wray, reports CBS News.
In a social media post on Saturday, Trump described his nominee as a “brilliant lawyer, investigator, and ‘America First’ fighter who has spent his career exposing corruption, defending justice, and protecting American people.”
Patel is a former Justice Department prosecutor turned fierce critic of that agency.
His 2023 book Government Gangsters covered plans to gut both the DOJ and the FBl. Patel wrote that the “FBI has become so thoroughly compromised that it will remain a threat to the people unless drastic measures are taken.”
He has also said that he wants to remove security clearances from the officials who prosecuted Trump.
The FBI director hire serves a 10-year term in office, across multiple presidential administrations, in order to protect the bureau from partisan political pressure. The role requires Senate confirmation.
Wray has signaled he wants to serve out the remainder of his term even though his relationship with Trump is tense.
Toward the end of his first administration, Trump tried to appoint Patel to a senior role at the Central Intelligence Agency, but senior leaders at the agency vetoed the move.
