Upcoming US President Donald Trump, in a new and surprising announcement, picked Kashyap "Kash" Patel as the FBI director.
According to CBS News, Trump, in an extraordinary announcement on Saturday evening, November 30, 2024, picked his former Defence Department chief of staff as FBI chief during his second term.
Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social, “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.”
Patel would replace FBI director Christopher Wray, who would be required to either voluntarily vacate the position or be fired by the new president as the current FBI director’s term would end in 2027 while Trump will take charge of the White House in January 2025.
The 44-year-old served as chief of staff to the secretary of defence and as representative of the National Archives and Records Administration during Trump's first term in office and has been his steadfast supporter throughout this time.
Meanwhile, the FBI spokesperson told CBS News on Saturday evening, "Every day, the men and women of the FBI continue to work to protect Americans from a growing array of threats."
"Director Wray's focus remains on the men and women of the FBI, the people we do the work with, and the people we do the work for," the spokesperson continued.
Notably, the 78-year-old did not call on Wary to resign from his post, whereas the nomination of Patel needs to be approved by the Senate.
