Republican President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday announced his intention to appoint Kash Patel, a former National Security official and staunch ally, as the next Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
The move signals Trump’s resolve to replace the current FBI Director, Christopher Wray, and reshape the agency in accordance with his administration’s goals.
Patel, who served as an advisor to both the Director of National Intelligence and the Secretary of Defense during Trump’s first term, has been an outspoken critic of the FBI’s intelligence operations.
He has previously advocated for dismantling the FBI’s intelligence functions and reassigning personnel to focus on traditional law enforcement tasks.
In a September interview on the Shawn Ryan Show, Patel expressed his vision for the agency. “The biggest problem the FBI has had has come out of its intel shops. I’d break that component out of it. I’d shut down the FBI Hoover building on day one and reopen it the next day as a museum of the deep state,” he said.
“And I’d take the 7,000 employees that work in that building and send them across America to chase down criminals. Go be cops. You’re cops. Go be cops.”
According to Reuters, Trump’s decision to nominate Patel underscores his intention to remove Wray, a Republican appointee whose 10-year term is set to expire in 2027. Wray was appointed by Trump in 2017 after the dismissal of James Comey but has since drawn criticism from Trump and his supporters.
During Wray’s tenure, the FBI conducted a court-approved search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate for classified documents, a move that enraged Trump’s base. Wray has also faced backlash over his oversight of a directive by Attorney General Merrick Garland aimed at protecting school boards from violent threats and harassment.
Despite the mounting pressure, Wray has shown no indication of stepping down before the end of his term. According to sources familiar with his schedule, he is reportedly continuing to plan events for 2025.
The nomination of Patel, 44, marks a controversial shift for the FBI. A former federal public defender and prosecutor, Patel gained prominence during Trump’s first term as an aide to former House Intelligence Committee Chair Devin Nunes, where he played a key role in House Republicans’ investigation into the FBI’s probe of Trump’s 2016 campaign’s ties to Russia.
Trump’s plans for the FBI come as Special Counsel Jack Smith, who has led federal prosecutions against Trump related to the 2020 election and classified documents, requested on November 25 that judges dismiss these cases before Trump takes office. Smith cited the Justice Department’s policy against prosecuting a sitting president.
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