Pending Senate confirmation, Patel will work closely with Pam Bondi, who was recently nominated by Trump to lead the Justice Department.
President-elect Donald Trump has announced the nomination of former public defender Kash Patel to serve as FBI director in his administration.
“I am proud to announce that Kashyap ‘Kash’ Patel will serve as the next Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” Trump wrote in a post on social media on Nov. 30. “Kash is a brilliant lawyer, investigator, and ‘America First’ fighter who has spent his career exposing corruption, defending Justice, and protecting the American People.”
Patel, who served as chief of staff to the acting secretary of defense during Trump’s first term in office, has been critical of the way the FBI operates. In a recent interview, Patel said he would shut down the bureau’s headquarters in Washington, and turn it into a museum, relocating the agency to outside the Beltway.
“I‘d shut down the FBI Hoover Building on day one and reopen the next day as a museum of the deep state. And I’d take the 7,000 employees that work in that building and send them across America to chase down criminals,” he said.
Trump said that Patel played a key role in revealing what he described as the Russia collusion “hoax” and that he would advocate for “truth, accountability, and the Constitution.”
“Kash did an incredible job during my First Term, where he served as Chief of Staff at the Department of Defense, Deputy Director of National Intelligence, and Senior Director for Counterterrorism at the National Security Council. Kash has also tried over 60 jury trials,” Trump wrote.
“This FBI will end the growing crime epidemic in America, dismantle the migrant criminal gangs, and stop the evil scourge of human and drug trafficking across the Border. Kash will work under our great Attorney General, Pam Bondi, to bring back Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity to the FBI.”
Patel, who is also a contributor to The Epoch Times, reacted to the news in a brief post on social media: “Thank you Everyone#Victory”
In his upcoming role, pending Senate confirmation, Patel will work closely with Bondi, who was recently nominated by Trump to lead the Justice Department.
