A former FBI special agent is weighing President Trump's selection to head the law enforcement agency she once worked for, and has some specific points she claims will help restore the trust of the American public. This suggests measures to be taken.
Former FBI special agent and Fox News contributor Nicole Parker told Fox News Digital: “The FBI has been politically and socially weaponized in recent years, and that has to end.” . “Those responsible for the FBI's destruction must be held accountable with tangible consequences.”
President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday announced his intention to nominate Kashyap “Kash” Patel to replace FBI Director Christopher Wray, whom Trump nominated in 2017 during his first term.
“I am proud to announce that Mr. Kashyap 'Kash' Patel will be the next Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” President Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Kash is a brilliant lawyer, investigator, and 'America First' fighter who has spent his career exposing corruption, upholding justice, and protecting the American people.”
Who is Kash Patel? Trump's nominee for FBI director has a long history of vowing to take down the “deep state.”
Kash Patel speaks at Donald Trump's campaign rally. (Rebecca Noble/Getty Images/File)
Ray is currently serving a 10-year term starting in 2017, but could resign or be fired.
In his post, President Trump wrote that Patel “played a pivotal role in debunking Russia, Russia, and Russian disinformation, and serving as a champion of truth, accountability, and the Constitution.”
“It is most important that the new FBI director transform the bureau into an agency that Americans trust, rely on impartial law enforcement, and can protect the public while upholding the Constitution,” Parker said. “The FBI needs to return to its original mission of fighting crime and keeping our communities safe, and become an agency that hard-working agents can once again be proud to work for.”
Parker added that the new FBI director will need to overhaul the FBI's culture.
“When I was an FBI special agent, the FBI always drilled into our heads the mantra of 'the needs of the bureau,' and I strongly condemned that. It shouldn't be the needs of the bureau. , should be the needs of the American people. As an FBI special agent, my salary is paid by taxpayers, and these are the people I am sworn to protect,” Parker said. Ta.
Trump nominates Kash Patel as FBI director, “defending the truth''
Nicole Parker, a former FBI special agent, said she still feels guilty about the tip from the field office. (Fox News)
Parker said it's time for the agency's reputation to be restored and the FBI needs to raise its hiring standards.
“The FBI director should inspire confidence in the law enforcement agencies sworn to protect the American people and our great country,” Parker said.
She went on to list some specific actions she would like to see taken.
“ODI [Office of Diversity and Inclusion] Anything other than law enforcement responsibility is a dangerous distraction and must be reevaluated. FBI headquarters will need to drastically reduce staffing levels and move agents back to field offices to fight crime. The FBI also needs to raise its hiring standards and hire only the best and brightest based solely on merit,” Parker continued.
Kash Patel and President-elect Donald Trump (Getty Images)
The FBI declined to comment on Parker's remarks, but issued a statement to Fox News Digital about the agency's efforts to continue protecting Americans.
“The men and women of the FBI continue to work every day to protect the American people from a growing array of threats. Director Wray continues to focus on the men and women of the FBI, the people we work with, and the people we collaborate with. “This is a job for people who rely on people,'' the statement said.
John Bolton compares Kash Patel to Stalin's right-hand man after Trump's FBI nomination
Current FBI Director Christopher Wray (left) is currently serving a 10-year term starting in 2017. For Mr. Patel (right) to take the job, Mr. Ray would have to be fired or resign. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
Patel has vowed to restore integrity to the FBI if confirmed.
“It is a once-in-a-lifetime honor to be nominated by President Trump to head the FBI,” Patel said in a statement. “Together, we will restore integrity, accountability, and equal justice to our justice system and restore the FBI to its rightful mission of protecting the American people.”
Patel, 44, is a former national security official who advised the director of national intelligence and the secretary of defense during the Trump administration.
Prior to joining the first Trump administration, Mr. Patel served as national security adviser and senior adviser to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, reporting to the committee's chairman, Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.). Ta. In that role, he helped oversee the House investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and uncovered illegal surveillance of the Trump campaign by the FBI and Justice Department.
Patel published a book last year called “Government Gangsters,” in which he railed against the “deep state,” the weaponization of the federal government, and the Russian investigation into President Trump.
In a chapter of his book titled “Overarching Reform of the FBI,'' Mr. Patel explicitly called for a shake-up of the FBI, and in doing so he never spoke about the current state of law enforcement.
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“The situation is bad. There's no denying it. The FBI is grossly abusing its power, threatening not only the rule of law but the very foundations of self-government at the heart of our democracy. But this is not the end. “Change is possible and desperately needed at the FBI,” he wrote.
“The fact is that we need a federal agency that investigates federal crimes, and that agency is always at risk of abuse of its power,” he continued, calling for the firing of “corrupt individuals” and Congressional action against the agency. It advocated “active” surveillance. , an overhaul of the special counsel and the relocation of the FBI from Washington, D.C.
“Most importantly, the FBI must be completely removed from Washington, D.C.,” he wrote. “There is no reason for the nation's law enforcement agencies to be concentrated in a swamp. Keeping the FBI in its massive Washington headquarters building will only enable systematic capture, and the FBI's senior leadership Instead, they engage in political maneuvering to curry favor with politicians and build relationships with the press to advance their careers. ”
Fox News Digital's Emma Colton contributed to this report.
Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. Story tips and ideas can be sent to stepheny.price@fox.com.
