(CLO) US President-elect Donald Trump announced on Saturday that he wants Kash Patel, a former national security official, to take over as Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
The move signals an intention to replace current FBI Director Christopher Wray, who was appointed by Trump in 2017 and whose term expires in 2027.
Mr. Kash Patel. Photo: REUTERS/Go Nakamura
Patel, 44, who advised the director of national intelligence and secretary of defense under Mr. Trump, has repeatedly criticized the FBI’s intelligence-gathering role and called for restructuring the agency.
“The FBI’s biggest problem is its intelligence division,” Patel said in an interview in September. “I would eliminate that function. I would close Hoover on day one and turn it into a museum of the deep state.”
Patel also said he wanted to deploy the 7,000 employees of the Washington DC headquarters across the US to “hunt down criminals” instead of doing intelligence work.
An FBI spokesperson responded to Patel's nomination: "Every day, FBI employees continue to protect the American people from evolving threats. Director Wray remains focused on his team and our mission to protect the nation."
Meanwhile, Mr Trump and his allies have criticised Wray for actions during his tenure, including the search of his Mar-a-Lago estate for classified documents.
Patel, a former public defender and federal prosecutor, played a key role in the Republican investigation into the FBI investigation into Mr. Trump’s 2016 campaign.
Patel's nomination is likely to face opposition from Democratic senators and some Republicans, but he has received support from several prominent figures.
Trump also nominated Chad Chronister, the sheriff of Hillsborough County, Florida, to head the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Chronister is expected to work closely with Pam Bondi, Trump’s pick for attorney general.
“Chad will work with Pam Bondi to secure the border, stop fentanyl and other illegal drugs from coming from the southern border, and save lives,” Trump wrote on the social network Truth Social.
Cao Phong (according to Reuters, CNN)
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/tong-thong-dac-cu-donald-trump-chon-ong-kash-patel-lam-giam-doc-fbi-post323687.html
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