Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said Sunday on CBS' “Face the Nation” that President-elect Trump's nominee for FBI director, Kash Patel, is a “very strong candidate.” He said it would be approved by the Senate.
A partial transcription follows:
Major Garrett: President Trump has recommended Kash Patel as the new leader of the FBI. How enthusiastic are you about it?
CRUZ: Listen, I think Kash Patel is a very strong candidate. I think all of the cabinet nominees that President Trump has proposed are very strong. I believe that all of these Cabinet nominees will be confirmed by the Senate. I think Kash Patel will be confirmed by the Senate. If you look at his career, he has a serious professional background. He was a prosecutor and public defender. He was a senior intelligence officer in the Capitol. He was a senior intelligence staff member at the White House. He was the chief of staff at the Pentagon. He was the Deputy Director of National Intelligence. And I have to say, to all of you who are weeping and gnashing your teeth and pulling your hair, the very real reformers are coming to the FBI and the corruption that sadly lurks in its den. These are the people who are disappointed in the fact that the partisans who did so were wiped out. He holds a senior position in the FBI. The FBI and the Department of Justice are two agencies that are critical to the rule of law in the United States. I respect both. And one of the most tragic results of the four years of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris is that both the Justice Department and the FBI have been politicized and weaponized, and Kash Patel has accused the FBI of partisan corruption. I think he is a very strong candidate.
Garrett: As you know, Senator, there are no vacancies at the top of the FBI. What will happen to Christopher Wray, who was appointed by President Trump?
CRUZ: Well, I think he'll make a choice. I think either he resigns or President Trump fires him. But it's no secret to anyone, including Chris Wray, that he has no intention of continuing to serve as FBI director under Donald Trump. Listen, if you look at James Comey and Chris Wray, there has never been a time in our nation's history when the FBI has lost so much respect and when more Americans are questioning the fundamental integrity of the FBI. There is no. Chris Wray says FBI targets parents at school board meetings, people who choose not to get coronavirus vaccine, targets President Trump, Joe Biden in the White House target political opponents. That's tragic. That's not what the FBI is about. That is not the purpose of the Department of Justice. And I think Pam Bondi and Kash Patel are very strong candidates to restore the health of both institutions.
Follow Pam Key on X @pamkeyNEN
