WASHINGTON, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- President-elect Donald Trump announced on Saturday that he plans to nominate Kash Patel as the next Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) director, intending to replace the current director, Christopher Wray, before Wray's term ends.
"I am proud to announce that Kashyap 'Kash' Patel will serve as the next Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Kash is a brilliant lawyer, investigator, and 'America First' fighter who has spent his career exposing corruption, defending Justice, and protecting the American People," Trump posted on his social platform Truth Social on Saturday evening.
Trump nominated Wray in 2017, but their relationship began to deteriorate before Trump left office in 2021. Trump's opinion of the FBI worsened after the August 2022 search of his Mar-a-Lago resort and his subsequent indictment for allegedly mishandling classified documents.
For Patel to assume the role, Wray would either step down voluntarily or be dismissed by Trump before his term concludes in 2027.
During Trump's first term, Patel served as chief of staff at the U.S. Defense Department, deputy director of National Intelligence, and senior director for counterterrorism at the National Security Council.
Multiple sources familiar with the Trump transition process previously expressed "deep concerns" about the possibility of Patel being named FBI director -- "a role where he would have vast authority to investigate the president's political enemies, help declassify sensitive information and carry out a purge of career civil servants," CNN reported. ■
