Trump Tried to Install Ex-Nunes Aide Kash Patel as FBI Deputy in Plot to Get Rid of Wray, Says Report

It seems that former President Donald Trump got much closer to ousting FBI Director Christopher Wray—and installing some friendly faces at the agency in Wray’s place—than was previously known. Wray’s job often appeared under threat during Trump’s presidency, particularly when Trump publicly criticized the FBI chief for testifying about Russian interference in the 2016 election. But Politico reports that Trump went as far as making plans for Wray’s succession, stating that the president was desperate to install counterintelligence chief William Evanina as Wray’s replacement, and Kash Patel, a former aide to Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA), as Evanina’s deputy. Patel played a major part in the campaigns to discredit investigations into Trump and Russian election interference. According to Politico, Trump’s plan fell apart last April after Attorney General Bill Barr threatened to resign over it, but former Trump aides said he kept fantasizing about Wray’s firing for months after the incident.