President-elect Donald Trump announced on Saturday that he intends to nominate Kash Patel, a former National Security official and loyalist, to lead the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
This move signals Trump's intent to remove the current FBI Director, Christopher Wray, whose term is set to run until 2027.
Patel, who served as an adviser to both the Director of National Intelligence and the Secretary of Defense during Trump's first term, has been a staunch critic of the FBI.
In a September interview, Patel called for the dismantling of the FBI's intelligence-gathering division, suggesting that the agency should focus exclusively on law enforcement. He even proposed that the FBI’s Hoover building be repurposed as a "museum of the deep state," with its employees reassigned to local law enforcement duties across the country.
“If I were in charge, I’d break out the intel shops from the FBI and send 7,000 employees across America to go be cops,” Patel said, outlining his vision for the agency's future.
The nomination of Patel, a staunch Trump ally, comes amid growing tensions between the former president and the FBI. Wray, appointed by Trump in 2017, has been a frequent target of Trump supporters, particularly after the FBI investigated the 2016 campaign's alleged Russian connections and its search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate for classified documents.
The prospect of Patel taking over the FBI signals Trump's continued efforts to reshape the federal law enforcement agency according to his vision.
Patel’s nomination, however, is expected to face significant opposition in the Senate, where it will require confirmation. While the FBI has not yet commented on the nomination, an agency spokesperson reaffirmed Director Wray’s ongoing commitment to the work of the FBI.
“The men and women of the FBI continue to protect Americans from growing threats, and Director Wray remains focused on their work,” the spokesperson said.
Patel’s background as a federal public defender and prosecutor, along with his controversial role in leading the House Republicans’ probe into the FBI’s handling of the 2016 election investigation, has made him a polarizing figure. He has also faced scrutiny over his involvement in Trump’s impeachment and his claims regarding the declassification of presidential records.
In addition to Patel’s nomination, Trump named Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister as his pick to head the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), further signaling his intent to shape key federal agencies with figures aligned with his policies.
