Trump taps Kash Patel as FBI director

By Joanna Putman
Police1

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump has announced plans to replace current FBI Director Christopher Wray with Kash Patel upon taking office, ABC News reported.

The moverequires Senate approvalonce Trump takes office, according to the report. Patel, a former chief of staff to the secretary of defense, has vowed to reform the agency and target what he calls abuses of power within the federal government.

In a statement posted on Truth Social, Trump said Patel would prioritize fighting crime, dismantling criminal gangs and addressing human and drug trafficking at the border, according to the report.

Patel, 44, began his career as a public defender in Miami before joining the Justice Department’s National Security Division in 2013. He later rose to prominence while leading the investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election for House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes.

Patel held several roles during Trump’s first administration, including deputy assistant to the president and senior director for counterterrorism on the National Security Council, according to the report. In late 2020, after Trump lost the election, Patel was appointed chief of staff at the Defense Department.

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In his book “Government Gangsters” which Trump has described as a “blueprint” for his next administration, Patel outlined plans to fire top officials, prosecute alleged political abuses and revoke security clearances for former government officials.

The FBI issued a statement in response to Trump’s announcement, reaffirming its commitment to protecting Americans from threats and emphasizing Wray’s focus on supporting the agency’s workforce. Wray will remain in his role until Trump’s inauguration, according to the report.

Trump also announced that he plans to pick Hillsborough County, Fla. Sheriff Chad Chronister to lead the Drug Enforcement Administration.

In a Truth Social post, Trump stated that Chronister would collaborate with former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, his choice to head the Department of Justice, “to secure the Border, stop the flow of Fentanyl, and other Illegal Drugs, across the Southern Border,” CBS News reported.