How Donald Trump’s pick Kash Patel seeks to change FBI

The FBI director was referring to his past tussles with Trump. Under Wray’s command, the FBI was responsible for investigations into criminal cases against Trump. In one of the cases, Trump was accused of hoarding classified documents, and another was about his involvement in a conspiracy to overturn the results of the 2020 Presidential elections. Interestingly, Patel testified in support of Trump in both these cases in court.

Wray’s resignation makes a significant departure from the tradition of an FBI director completing his full term. However, with Trump announcing Patel as his nominee for the position, Wray’s decision is not unexpected.

How does Kash Patel seek to change FBI?

Critics have warned that with Patel at the helm, the FBI could increasingly target Trump’s political opponents. In contrast to Wray’s non-partisan approach, Patel doesn’t shy away from showing his unconditional support for the President-elect. Notably, the FBI under Wray had also investigated Biden’s son Hunter Biden.

In his book Government Gangsters: The Deep State, the Truth and the Battle for Our Democracy (2023), Patel has accused the FBI of being a “primary functionary of the Deep State” and a “threat to American freedom”. He recommends bringing the FBI under the purview of Congress so that its agents are accountable to elected officials. He has also suggested that the FBI headquarters be moved away from Washington, and government employees who undermine the President’s agenda be fired.

In more decisive suggestions for overhauling the FBI, Patel told the Shawn Ryan Show podcast, “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. 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 are cops. Go be cops.”

In a podcast with Steve Bannon, a former White House chief strategist in the Trump era, Patel had said, “We’re going to come after the people in the media who lied about American citizens, who helped Joe Biden rig presidential elections… We’re going to come after you, whether it’s criminally or civilly. We’ll figure that out. But yeah, we’re putting you all on notice… We’re actually going to use the Constitution to prosecute them for crimes they said we have always been guilty of but never have.”

What will it take for Kash Patel to become FBI chief?

Patel’s comments seeking action against Biden’s allies and journalists have put him out of favour with a section of Americans. Many have also spoken about his lack of experience as an FBI agent, which would make him unsuitable for the top job.

This means that despite Trump’s nomination, Patel is set to face opposition from the Democrats and likely others in the Senate, which must vote on making him FBI director.

An op-ed published in The Wall Street Journal by John Bolton, former White House national security adviser under Trump, said that Patel doesn’t belong in the FBI. Bolton argued that Patel placed “obedience to Mr. Trump above other, higher considerations — most important, loyalty to the Constitution”.

According to a report in the newspaper, Trump’s top advisers had also warned the President-elect against nominating Patel for the job. “They cautioned that Patel not only lacked the right experience, but they feared his embrace of controversial theories could hurt his chances at Senate confirmation,” the report said, citing people familiar with the discussions.