‘Completely made-up’: White House denies report claiming Trump weighing ouster of FBI director Kash Patel
The report claimed that Trump and White House aides have confided to allies that the president is weighing to remove Patel from the top post and considering top FBI official Andrew Bailey as his replacement.
Leavitt said Trump and Patel were in a meeting when the report came out and that the president reacted to it by laughing. (Photo: X/ @PressSec)
The White House on Tuesday denied a report by MS Now which claimed that US President Donald Trump was considering removing Kash Patel as director of the FBI in the coming months. The report, based on inputs from three unidentified people, stated that Trump and his administration officials had grown increasingly frustrated by the unflattering headlines Patel has generated, Reuters reported.
Trump, while aboard the Air Force One on Tuesday, was asked about the report by MS Now and the president responded saying, “He is doing a great job I think.”
Providing a clarification on the matter, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said the story by MS Now was “completely made up” and posted a photo of Trump and Kash Patel which she said was taken in the Oval Office on Tuesday. She added Trump and Patel were in a meeting when the report came out and that the president reacted to it by laughing.
This story is completely made up.
In fact, when this Fake News published, I was in the Oval Office, where President Trump was meeting with his law enforcement team, including FBI Director Kash Patel.
While urging people to not believe “fake news”, Leavitt wrote on X, “In fact, when this Fake News published, I was in the Oval Office, where President Trump was meeting with his law enforcement team, including FBI Director Kash Patel.”
The White House spokeswoman further added, “I read the headline to the President and he laughed. He said: “What? That’s totally false. Come on Kash, let’s take a picture to show them you’re doing a great job!”
Kash Patel has come under the spotlight for the usage of FBI’s resources, including his girlfriend’s security detail and use of a government jet.
Patel was present at the White House on Tuesday for the annual pardoning of the Thanksgiving turkeys, where President Trump commended the FBI director and said he was “very busy doing a great job.” After several people in the crowd applauded, Trump added, “See, you’ve got a following, Kash.”
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Leavitt said Trump and Patel were in a meeting when the report came out and that the president reacted to it by laughing. (Photo: X/ @PressSec) 
