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President-elect Donald Trump has said he will nominate Kash Patel, a believer and staunch opponent of the “Deep State”, to head the FBI, signaling his intention to remove Christopher Wray as director of the agency.
Patel, who advised the secretary of defense under the former Trump administration, has previously called for the FBI to eliminate the FBI’s intelligence collection function and fire employees who disagree with Trump.
“I am proud to announce that Kashyap ‘Kash’ Patel will be the next Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” Trump wrote on his social media site, Truth Social, on Saturday night.
“Kash is a brilliant lawyer, investigator, and ‘America First’ warrior who has spent his career exposing corruption, protecting justice, and protecting the American people.”
“This FBI will end America’s growing crime epidemic, crack down on illegal immigration, and stop the terrible epidemic of human and drug trafficking across the Border,” Trump added.
A longtime Trump loyalist, Patel has also worked as a federal prosecutor and public defender, but has no legal experience.
In a podcast hosted by Trump ally Stephen Bannon late last year, Patel vowed to investigate and “go after” journalists who “lied” and “helped Joe Biden influence the presidential election.”
Patel wrote: “Whether it’s a crime or a crime, we can identify it.”
In his book State TerroristsPatel describes a series of “big changes to defeat the deep world”, which include moving the FBI headquarters from Washington and reducing the office of the general counsel in the FBI.
Trump appointed FBI director Christopher Wray in 2017, and his term does not expire until 2027. Trump has been publicly critical of Wray, especially after law enforcement officials searched his home for classified documents.
More to come
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