President-elect Trump's transition team announced Tuesday that it has signed an agreement with the FBI to vet Cabinet nominees for the incoming administration.
Mr. Trump's team has said it will “submit names for background and security checks,” and agreements are typically signed before elections. The FBI has historically vetted each Cabinet nominee and also controls classified information, a process that cannot begin until a consensus is reached.
Incoming White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles said, “This agreement with the Department of Justice ensures that from day one President Trump and his team will enact the America First Agenda, which was supported by an overwhelming majority of Americans on Election Day.'' It will be possible to implement it.'' statement.
Many Senate Republicans were concerned about the transition team's initial reluctance to submit to FBI background checks, and some praised Tuesday's agreement.
Who is Kash Patel? Trump's nominee for FBI director has a long history of vowing to take down the “deep state.”
President-elect Trump has agreed to allow Cabinet nominees to be vetted by the FBI. (Alison Robert Poole/Getty Images)
“I think that's a good thing — it's going to save them some headaches,” Sen. Kevin Cramer, RN.D., said, according to Politico. “And I'm glad to hear that because I think it's going to give the public and the senators a little bit of comfort.”
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Mr. Trump and his allies have publicly criticized the FBI during and after the election. Kash Patel, who was nominated by President Trump to lead the organization, has been a campaigner against the “deep state” since Trump's first term and echoes Republican claims that Democrats have “weaponized” the FBI. There is.
Kash Patel and President-elect Donald Trump are standing side by side. (Getty Images)
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“Kash did an outstanding job during my first term, serving as Chief of Staff at the Department of Defense, Deputy Director of National Intelligence, and Senior Counterterrorism Director on the National Security Council. , tried over 60 jury trials,” Trump posted on Truth Social on Sunday.
“This FBI will end America's growing crime epidemic, dismantle immigrant criminal organizations, and stop the evil scourge of cross-border human and drug trafficking. Kash will be our great Attorney General. “He will work under Pam Bondi to restore loyalty and courage,” he added, “and integrity to the FBI.”
FBI Director Christopher Wray will be replaced by Kash Patel, who worked at the Pentagon during the Trump administration's first term. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Patel's name became known and circulated in news reports as the man behind the Nunes Memo, a four-page document written by then-Congressman. Republican Devin Nunes of California was released in 2018. FBI and government surveillance The Department of Justice is investigating President Trump in Russia.
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“If they had gotten it right from the beginning, Devin and I, and many others, would have actually published the truth instead of serving as a disinformation machine for leftist purposes. Sometimes the reassessment would not have happened,” Patel said. Last year's memo from Fox News Digital. “They would not be able to do their work in the deep state without their mainstream media partners who are part of the deep state.”
FOX News' Emma Colton contributed to this report.
