President-elect Donald Trump’s latest nomination of former National Security official Kash Patel as head of the FBI wasn’t unexpected, but it’s still making waves. Patel has been outspoken about dismantling what he calls the “deep state,” vowing to strip the FBI of its intelligence-gathering role and to refocus its mission on traditional law enforcement. He has mused about shuttering the FBI’s headquarters “on day one” and redistributing its 7,000 employees across the country to “go be cops” – a huge departure from the traditional role of the FBI as the country’s domestic intelligence agency.
Who is Kash Patel? He is a hard-core Trump loyalist who helped challenge the FBI’s Russia probe during Trump’s first impeachment proceedings. Before that, he served as a public defender in Florida’s Miami-Dade area, where he tried “scores of complex cases ranging from murder, to narco-trafficking, to complex financial crimes in jury trials in state and federal courts,” according to his Defense Department biography. Trump said Patel would restore “Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity” to the FBI, “dismantle the migrant criminal gangs,” and stymie drug and human trafficking.
How might the Senate react? Patel’s nominationis likely to split the Senate. Democrats will unsurprisingly oppose his appointment, but some moderate Republicans may also balk. On Sunday, Republican Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota warned that Patel could face a tough confirmation battle, while Sens. Ted Cruz and Bill Hagerty sang Patel’s praises.