Kash Patel, Donald Trump’s pick to lead the FBI and an ardent supporter of the president-elect, has vowed to help dismantle the same organization he’s poised to lead.
The former public defender is widely viewed as a controversial figure and one whose value to the president-elect largely derives from their shared disdain for established power in Washington.
Putting him in charge of the FBI would require forcing out current director Christopher Wray, who was appointed by Trump in 2017, before his 10-year term expires in three years — a future move that has already prompted bipartisan criticism.
The FBI director must also be confirmed by the Senate, where members are already bracing for how they’ll navigate a slew of unorthodox Trump selections.
As of late last week, some close to Trump believed it was a “toss-up” between Patel and Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey as to whom the president-elect would pick for FBI director, according to a source familiar with the discussions.
But some in Trump’s inner circle were not happy with either option, the source said, adding a third, unknown candidate would likely have emerged in the next week or two if Trump hadn’t made a decision by then.
Patel, in particular, is not viewed as a consensus choice for the job, the source said, noting that it was always going to come down to what Trump wanted and, potentially, the last person he spoke to on a given day.
In his 2023 book, “Government Gangsters: The Deep State, the Truth, and the Battle for Our Democracy,” Patel lays out his case against what he refers to as “the deep state” — an amorphous term he says includes elected leaders, journalists, Big Tech tycoons and “members of the unelected bureaucracy” — calling for “a comprehensive housecleaning” of the Justice Department, which he claims has protected high-ranking members of the Democratic Party while unjustly targeting Republicans and their allies.
