The Daily Star Ireland
President-elect Donald Trump has indicated his desire to have Kash Patel, a staunch supporter and former National Security official, lead the FBI, suggesting a plan to replace the current director, Christopher Wray.
Patel, who advised both the Director of National Intelligence and the Secretary of Defense during Trump’s first term, has previously called for significant changes within the FBI. He advocates for removing the FBI’s intelligence-gathering role and reassigning employees who do not align with Trump’s objectives.
In a September interview on the conservative Shawn Ryan Show, Patel expressed his intention to dismantle the FBI’s intelligence division, close the FBI Hoover building, and reopen it as a museum. He suggested reallocating the building’s 7,000 employees to other law enforcement duties across the country.
Trump’s selection of Patel signals a clear intention to dismiss Wray, a Republican whom Trump appointed after firing James Comey in 2017. Wray’s term is set to expire in 2027, and FBI directors are traditionally given 10-year terms to keep the bureau apolitical.
Wray has been criticized by Trump supporters, especially after the FBI searched Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate for classified documents and Wray’s handling of a directive to protect school boards from threats and harassment.
Special Counsel Jack Smith, who is leading two federal prosecutions against Trump for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election and retain classified documents, has requested that the judges dismiss these cases before Trump takes office on January 20, citing the Justice Department’s policy against prosecuting a sitting president.
Despite the controversy, Wray has not indicated any plans to resign early and is reportedly planning events well into 2025.
Patel, a former federal public defender and prosecutor, played a key role during Trump’s first term, notably in the House Republicans’ investigation into the FBI’s 2016 probe of Trump’s campaign’s contacts with Russia. He also faced allegations during Trump’s first impeachment trial of acting as an unauthorized back channel between Trump and Ukraine, which he denied.
After Trump’s departure from office, Patel was appointed by Trump to oversee access to his presidential records. Patel claimed, without evidence, that Trump had declassified all the relevant documents and was later subpoenaed by a grand jury investigating the matter.
In his post-administration career, Patel wrote “Government Gangsters,” a book that Trump endorsed in 2023 as a “roadmap to end the Deep State’s reign.”
Patel’s potential nomination is expected to face opposition from Senate Democrats and possibly some Republicans, although he has received public backing from notable Republicans like Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
