ADRIAN MA, HOST:
President-elect Donald Trump gave Washington another jolt last night when he announced his plans to nominate longtime loyalist Kash Patel as FBI director. If confirmed, Patel would replace current FBI Director Christopher Wray, another Trump appointee who was supposed to serve until 2027. NPR’s Luke Garrett has been covering Trump’s transition to the White House, and he joins us now to tell us more. Hey, Luke.
LUKE GARRETT, BYLINE: Hey there.
MA: Can you start off by giving a bit of background on who is Kash Patel?
GARRETT: So Patel first came to national attention as a congressional staffer with the House Intelligence Committee. He was very critical of how the FBI handled its probe into Russia’s interference of the 2016 election and investigated the very agency he’s now being tapped to lead. And it’s worth noting here that an independent Justice Department investigation did find that Russia tried to help Trump beat Hillary Clinton, but it did not find that the Trump campaign colluded with Russia.
MA: So what has Patel been up to since then?
GARRETT: So toward the end of Trump’s first term, Patel pivoted into roles at the National Security Council and the Pentagon. And he’s no stranger to a microphone. He’s a regular on right-wing podcasts, where he has issued threats to prosecute political adversaries. Last year, on “Steve Bannon’s War Room” podcast, Patel laid out his plans for a second Trump presidency and repeated false claims about the 2020 election.
(SOUNDBITE OF PODCAST, “STEVE BANNON’S WAR ROOM”)
KASH PATEL: We will go out and find the conspirators, not just in government but in the media. Yes, we’re going to come after the people in the media who lied about American citizens, who helped Joe Biden rig presidential elections. We’re going to come after you. Whether it’s criminally or civilly, we’ll figure that out.
GARRETT: And Patel has pledged to shutter the FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C., quote, “on Day 1,” end quote, and to disperse those FBI employees across the country. So in short, Patel is a hard-line Trump supporter and disruptor.
MA: How is Patel’s nomination landing in Congress? I mean, what are the chances that he gets confirmed by the Senate?
GARRETT: That is the big question. Senate is back tomorrow, and I’m sure Patel’s nomination will be top of mind for many on Capitol Hill. But some senators are weighing in before they return to Washington. Here’s Republican Tennessee Senator Bill Hagerty on NBC this morning.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
BILL HAGERTY: President Trump is entitled to name his appointees. That is exactly what he’s doing, and I’m going to support this appointment. Kash has worked in National Security. He’s worked at the Department of Justice, and he’s somebody that has been willing to uncover the wrongs of the FBI.
GARRETT: Now, Hagerty has supported all of Trump’s pick so far, including former Congressman Matt Gaetz, who withdrew his nomination for attorney general.
MA: And what about the current FBI director, Christopher Wray? What would happen to him?
GARRETT: Right. It’s really worth mentioning here that Wray was selected by none other than President-elect Trump back in 2017. And this was after Trump fired the previous FBI director, James Comey. But Wray, notably, did not join Trump in his effort to overturn the 2020 election. Wray’s 10-year term does end in 2027. And in a statement to NPR, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Dick Durbin, called on the upper chamber to vote against Patel to keep Wray as FBI director, to insulate the FBI from politics. We’re going to have to keep our eye on those moderate Republicans in the Senate to see if they join Durbin in that effort.
MA: That’s NPR’s Luke Garrett. Thanks for coming here to break it down.
GARRETT: Thanks so much for having me. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
