President-elect Trump on Saturday nominated Kash Patel, a longtime ally, to head the FBI, a man who has promised to reform the FBI.
At the time, President Trump signaled that he planned to fire FBI Director Christopher Way, whom Trump appointed to a 10-year term in 2017.
Patel is new to the FBI, having held a number of national security roles during the first Trump administration.
Here are five things to know about Patel.
President Trump's loyal ally
Patel has been a staunch ally of President Trump, dating back to an FBI investigation into his 2016 presidential campaign.
Mr. Patel began his political career as a staffer to Congressman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) and served as an advisor to the House Intelligence Committee.
There, Patel played a key role in trying to discredit the Democratic task force on President Trump's ties to Russia. This included preparing a report analyzing the FBI and Justice Department's handling of their own investigations into Russian election interference.
His criticism of investigations is a frequent theme in his writings, including children's books.
“We discovered a coordinated effort to use the Russiagate disinformation as a means to attack then-President Trump,” Patel wrote in an April email.
“That was a big hoax!”
Patel agrees with Trump on weaponization and retaliation plans
Patel regularly attacks the “deep state,” accusing it of “weaponizing the government for its own political and personal ends.”
Much of his commentary on allegations of government wrongdoing focuses on both the investigation of President Trump and the January 6 riot.
“The FBI is pursuing the J6ers like terrorists,” he wrote in a March email.
He also created his own list of “government gangs” that included Attorney General Merrick Garland, Mr. Wray and former CIA director Gina Haspel.
Mr Patel called for the department and the Justice Department to use their powers to prosecute journalists.
“Whether it's criminal or civil, we're going to pursue you. We're going to figure it out,” he said during an appearance on Steve Bannon's podcast.
He calls for major reform of the FBI
From his first day as director, Patel called for major changes at the FBI.
“I would shut down the FBI Hoover Building on day one, reopen it as a deep state museum the next day, and then take the 7,000 people who work in that building and send them across America to track down criminals. . Be a cop,” Patel said.
Through his eponymous foundation, Mr. Patel promoted several whistleblowers who alleged wrongdoing by the FBI.
“I am on a mission to eliminate all government-affiliated gangs from the department,” he wrote in a July email.
Patel has also criticized Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which allows the government to spy on foreign nationals overseas.
The FBI relied on another section of the law to spy on Trump campaign supporter Carter Page.
Nevertheless, many FISA critics have called for changes to the law, including requiring a warrant to review information from Americans who communicate with monitored foreign nationals.
During the fight to reauthorize Section 702 last year, Patel advocated for the powerful spying tool to expire. Congress is expected to consider renewing it again next year.
“We call on Congress to let this bill expire,” Patel said in a statement, along with interim chief Rick Grenell. “We urge Congress to let this bill expire,” Patel said in a statement. It's better to have no authority at all.” Director of National Intelligence in the Trump administration.
He criticized the committee on January 6th.
On January 6, Patel was serving as chief of staff to then-acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller, who was appointed to the role the day after President Trump fired Defense Secretary Mark Esper.
His brief stint at the Pentagon came under intense scrutiny by the now-disbanded Jan. 6 committee, which asked him for an interview, writing: Documents and information related to the Pentagon and White House in preparing for and responding to the attack on the Capitol, as well as personal involvement in the planning for the events of January 6 and the peaceful transfer of power. ”
finally patelsat down with the panel investigatorson December 9th, after completing the summer 2021 hearing schedule.
Patel denied any wrongdoing or inappropriate behavior in connection with the attack, but complained about how the Justice Department handled cases involving the mob.
He labeled Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) a “government mobster” and former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyoming, “the chief architect of this disinformation campaign,” calling them a “government mobster.” has been highly critical of his work.
In a May email, he wrote that Cheney and his gang of thugs “concealed evidence that completely exonerated the defendants from the charges of insurrection on January 6th.”
he is a writer
Patel has written several books, including one called “Government Gangsters.”
The book's synopsis refers to an “evil cabal” that “plotted to overthrow the president,” and says Patel will “find ways to defeat the deep state, reassert self-government, and restore democracy.” It's clear.”
Patel is also the author of the children's book “The Plot Against The King,'' which the book promotes as telling the story behind “one of our nation's greatest injustices.''
The book depicts Patel as a wizard, while Trump is clearly the king, facing the threat of “Hillary Queenton,” while also featuring figures like Nunes and Schiff.
