Trump Taps Loyal Ally to Handbook Key Role
Policy Initiatives
Former President Donald Trump announced late Saturday that he intends to nominate Kash Patel as the new director of the FBI, igniting a firestorm of debate over the future of the nation’s top law enforcement agency.
Patel, a one-time national security prosecutor, has consistently aligned himself with Trump’s rhetoric about a "deep state" working against the former president. Republicans on Capitol Hill offered mixed reactions, expressing skepticism over FBI Director Christopher Wray’s future under a potential President Trump.
During his first term, Trump fired Comey, viewing him as disloyal. Now, Trump is poised to orchestrating a similar shake-up.
"Every president wants people that are loyal to themselves," Sen, Mike Rounds, R-S.D., said on ABC’s "This Week" while admitting, "I don’t have any complaints about the way that he’s done his job right now."
Rounds acknowledged the president’s right to make nominations.
"We’ll see what his process is, and whether he actually makes that nomination. And then, if he does, just as with anybody who is nominated for one of these positions, once they’ve been nominated by the president, then the president gets, you know, the benefit of the doubt on the nomination, but we still go through a process" of providing advice and consent under the Constitution, Rounds explained.
He added: "That can be sometimes advice, sometimes it is consent.”
Patel, who spent the majority of Trump’s first term as an aide to the then-Republican chairman of the House Intelligence Committee before taking roles at the White House
National Security Council and later at the Defense Department
Trump seeks
“played a pivotal role in uncovering the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, standing as an advocate for truth, accountability, and the Constitution,” Trump wrote Saturday night in a social media post.
Patel, considering “
has called for a “comprehensive housecleaning” of government workers who are disloyal to him and has referred to journalists as traitors, promising to try to prosecute reporters.
"The selection is in keeping with Trump’s view that the government’s law enforcement and intelligence agencies require a radical transformation and his stated desire for retribution against supposed adversaries. It also shows how Trump, still fuming over years of federal investigations that shadowed his first administration and later led to his indictment, is moving to place atop the FBI and Justice Department close allies he believes will protect rather than scrutinize him.”
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, strongly endorsed Patel’s nomination. He told CBS’ “Face the Nation,”
"All of the weeping and gnashing of teeth, all the people pulling their hair out, are exactly the people who are dismayed about having a real reformer come into the FBI,"
Conservatives inexplicably praised Patel’s experience despite recent investigations highlighting
Infobox Surging Congressional Opposite
Sen. Marsha Blackburn, a colleague of Patel’s on the Judiciary Committee, shared similar sentiments. “Patel “has more experience than just about anybody coming into this position,” she said on Fox News. “Sunday Morning Futures."
Democrats signaled their intention to vehemently oppose Patel’s confirmation.
"Trump “wants to replace his own appointee with an unqualified loyalist,” said Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, who is expected to be the ranking Democrat next year on the Judiciary Committee, in a statement. “The Senate should reject this unprecedented effort to weaponize
* What are Senator Rounds’ initial thoughts on former president Trump’s nomination of Kash Patel for FBI Director?
## Interview with Senator Rounds on Trump’s Potential FBI Director Nomination
**Host:** Senator Rounds, thanks for joining us today. Former President Trump has announced his intention to nominate Kash Patel as FBI Director if he’s elected. What are your initial thoughts on this nomination?
**Senator Rounds:** Well, every president wants people who are loyal to them, and it’s clear that Mr. Patel has demonstrated that loyalty to Former President Trump. However, the FBI Director needs to be someone who is independent and can operate above political considerations. I don’t have any complaints about Director Wray’s performance currently, but we’ll see what process Former President Trump follows and whether this nomination actually moves forward. [[1](https://apnews.com/article/trump-fbi-patel-wray-879dc7629905946cc242e90f6ab98739)]
**Host:** Senator, you were quoted saying that the Senate has a role to play in providing “advice and consent.” How will that process work in this case, especially given the potential for controversy surrounding this nomination?
**Senator Rounds:** That’s right. The Constitution gives the Senate a crucial role in confirming presidential nominations. We’ll thoroughly evaluate Mr. Patel’s qualifications, experience, and commitment to upholding the law impartially. It could be a situation where we offer advice to the President, or ultimately, it could be a matter of giving or withholding consent. [[1](https://apnews.com/article/trump-fbi-patel-wray-879dc7629905946cc242e90f6ab98739)]
**Host:** Some critics are concerned that Mr. Patel’s past rhetoric, particularly his alignment with Former President Trump’s claims of a “deep state,” raises concerns about his ability to lead the FBI independently. How do you respond to those concerns?
**Senator Rounds:** Those are valid concerns that we, as Senators, will need to address during the confirmation process. It’s crucial that whoever leads the FBI can be trusted to act in the best interests of the country and uphold the law without bias.
