President Donald Trump’s nomination of Kash Patel as FBI director drew a strong reaction from both supporters and critics on Saturday night.
Patel’s nomination indicates major changes the agency is likely to undergo under a second Trump administration. As a staunch Trump supporter, Patel is a fierce critic of government corruption and the so-called “deep state” and has attacked the institution in the past.
In an interview with “The Shawn Ryan Show” in September, Patel said the FBI’s footprint was “huge.”
“I will close the FBI Hoover Building on day one and reopen it the next as the Deep State Museum,” Patel said.
Trump nominates KASH PATEL to be FBI director: ‘Advocate for truth’
The nomination of Kash Patel, a staunch supporter of President Trump, faced strong reactions from conservatives and liberals on Saturday. (Getty Images)
In the past, Trump has not been a fan of the FBI, which raided his Florida home in 2022 and years earlier investigated false claims that he was a Russian asset. Most observers expect Trump to call on his directors to carry out a major overhaul.
“Cash is a brilliant lawyer, investigator and ‘America First’ fighter who has spent his career exposing corruption. protect justice and protect the American people,” Trump said in a statement. “He played a key role in exposing Russia, Russia, the Russian hoax. By standing as a supporter of the truth. responsibility and the Constitution”
Patel’s nomination was immediately praised by Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., whom Trump selected to be U.S. ambassador. The United Nations called Patel “America’s first fighter.” Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., also praised the choice.
“Excellent choice by @realDonaldTrump,” Donalds wrote on X. “Kash is a patriot and 100% America First.”
Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, also expressed his congratulations.
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Khaj Patel, former Chief of Staff of the United States Department of Defense Speaking during a campaign rally for former President Trump. at the Findlay Toyota Center in Prescott Valley, Arizona on 1 Oct 13. (Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)
“Kash played a key role in President Trump’s first term. And it will be even bigger in his second!,” the former White House doctor wrote. “It’s time to clean this place up, and Kash is the one to do it!!! MAGA!”
However, commentators on the left panned MSNBC’s Morning Joe pick, previously calling Patel “the personification of MAGA who is angry about the Justice Department and the FBI.”
On Saturday night, left-wing commentator Mehdi Hassan accused Patel of being “A profoundly strange, shocking and cringeworthy figure,” said Andrew McCabe, who briefly served as acting director of the FBI. under Trump’s leadership in 2017 before being fired for allegedly leaking to the media and “Lack of candor”, calling Patel’s nomination a “mistake” “A plan to disrupt, dismantle, and distract the FBI.”
“It is a terrible development for the men and women of the FBI and for a nation that depends on an effective, professional, and independent Federal Bureau of Investigation,” McCabe told CNN. That Kash Patel is profoundly unqualified for the job is not even up for debate.”
Trump has nominated Patel to lead the FBI in the new administration. (Getty Images)
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Tom Nichols, a staff writer for The Atlantic, told MSNBC that Patel is “as dangerous as it gets.”
“I think if we still have the ability to be shocked, It was shocking,” said Nicholls. “But I thought this was something… Many of us saw it coming and, you know, shouldn’t have been that surprised. But it is an incredibly dangerous development.”
Patel must meet two conditions to take the position: Current FBI Director Christopher Wray must resign or be fired, and Patel must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
Wray has not signaled any intention to resign. On Saturday night, the FBI told Fox News Digital that Wray was focused on his job at hand.
Former Defense Department Chief of Staff Kash Patel greets the crowd during a campaign rally at Minden-Tahoe Airport in Minden, Nevada on Oct. 10, 8 Nov 2022. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
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“Every day, the men and women of the FBI continue to work to protect Americans from growing threats,” said an FBI spokesperson. “Director Ray remains committed to the men and women of the FBI and the people we work with. and the people we work for.”
Fox News Digital’s Peter Pinedo contributed to this report.
