WASHINGTON: US President-elect Donald Trump aims to make loyalist Kash Patel the next director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), he said on Saturday, in a move that would involve replacing the current chief of the key agency.
Trump announced that the former adviser and Pentagon official, who has criticized the office and is known for his controversial views on a so-called government “deep state,” was his choice for the job on his Truth social network.
Current FBI Director Christopher Wray was appointed to a 10-year term in 2017, meaning he will either have to resign or be fired.
The FBI, led by Wray – appointed by Trump – investigated the new president, sparking Trump’s ire.
“Kash is a brilliant lawyer, investigator, and fighter for ‘America First’ who has spent his career exposing corruption, defending justice, and protecting the American people,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
A staunch defender of the new president, Patel supports the hardline Republican notion of an anti-Trump “deep state” made up of allegedly biased government bureaucrats working to suppress Trump behind the scenes, having even written a book on the subject.
The son of Indian immigrants, Patel held several high-profile positions during Trump’s first term, including as national security adviser and chief of staff to the acting defense secretary.
“Kash has done an incredible job in my first term,” Trump said, adding that the candidate would work to “end America’s growing crime epidemic, dismantle migrant criminal gangs and end the evil scourge of human and drug trafficking across the border.” .”
Separately, Trump named Chad Chronister, a Florida sheriff, as administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which the president-elect erroneously called the Drug Enforcement Agency.
“Chad will work with our great Attorney General, Pam Bondi, to secure the border, stop the flow of fentanyl and other illegal drugs across the southern border, and SAVE LIVES,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Bondi, a staunch Trump ally and former Florida attorney general, is the president-elect’s choice to lead the Justice Department.
The FBI is the investigative arm of the Department of Justice, while the DEA also falls under its jurisdiction.
The appointments of Bondi and Patel, both close supporters, indicate that Trump wants to recruit people who are closely aligned and ready to implement his vision and political inclinations.
