WASHINGTON (Diya TV) — President-elect Donald Trump has tapped Kash Patel, a former National Security official and ardent supporter, to run the FBI, an indication that he intends to fire current Director Christopher Wray. Patel’s nomination comes after a series of public attacks and political maneuvers that have put Trump at odds with Wray, a Republican whom Trump appointed in 2017.
Patel, 44, who was a leading advisor during Trump’s first term, is known for his ardent support of the former president and his vociferous views on the FBI. In an interview in September on the conservative Shawn Ryan Show, the Indian American attorney called for a major restructuring of the bureau, where he said the FBI must be stripped of its role in intelligence gathering and some employees must be fired to fit Trump’s agenda. He also recommended that the Hoover Building of the FBI should be closed down and made into a “museum of the deep state.”
The nomination of Patel by Trump directly challenges Wray, who is set to end his 10-year term in the FBI until 2027. It has triggered debates on whether the FBI is being politicized – an agency that has been made to be away from the pressures of political influence over time.
An FBI spokesperson commented on Patel’s nomination, highlighting the fact that the bureau continues to safeguard Americans from all manners of threats. “Every day, the men and women of the FBI continue to work to protect Americans from a growing array of threats,” the spokesperson said. “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.”
The nomination, which will require Senate confirmation, has drawn mixed reactions. While some high-profile Republicans, including Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, have publicly supported Patel, the move is expected to face opposition from Senate Democrats and potentially some Republicans who may question the appropriateness of such a polarizing figure in leading the FBI.
Patel, a former federal prosecutor and public defender, played a key role in leading House Republicans’ probe into the FBI’s 2016 investigation into Russian interference in the election. He also became a prominent figure in Trump’s efforts to challenge the results of the 2020 election and the investigation into the handling of classified documents.
While the nomination of Patel has caused alarm among some critics, it also represents a possible shift in the way the U.S. government might handle its national security and law enforcement agencies under a second Trump administration.
