Trump picks loyalist ex-aide as FBI director
President-elect Donald Trump has selected his former aide, Kash Patel, to lead the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), an agency that Patel has frequently criticized. A former chief of staff at the U.S. Department of Defense under Trump’s first administration, Patel has been a loyal supporter of the incoming Republican president.
For Patel to assume the role, current FBI Director Christopher Wray would need to either resign or be dismissed. However, Trump did not explicitly call for Wray’s removal in his announcement.
Additionally, Trump stated his intention to nominate Chad Chronister, the sheriff of Hillsborough County, Florida, to head the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Patel and Chronister join Pam Bondi, Trump’s nominee for Attorney General, as part of his law enforcement team.
On the same day, Trump announced his selection of Charles Kushner, a real estate developer and father of Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump’s husband, to serve as ambassador to France. This appears to be the first formal administration role Trump has offered to a relative since his re-election. All three nominees will require Senate confirmation.
Patel, a staunch Trump loyalist, shares the president-elect’s skepticism toward government institutions. Trump praised Patel on his social media platform, Truth Social, calling him a “brilliant lawyer, investigator, and ‘America First’ fighter” who has worked to expose corruption, uphold justice, and protect the American people.
Patel has long advocated for limiting the FBI’s power, even proposing the firing of top officials in the agency to end what he calls “government tyranny.”
Patel would replace Christopher Wray, who was appointed FBI Director in 2017 for a ten-year term but has lost favor with Trump after the FBI’s involvement in the investigation into Trump’s handling of classified documents, a case that was later dropped.
In response, the FBI issued a statement reaffirming Wray’s commitment to the agency’s mission, emphasizing the work of its personnel in protecting Americans from growing threats.
Patel, the son of Indian immigrants, is a former defense attorney and federal prosecutor. He gained attention in 2017 as a senior counsel for the House Intelligence Committee and was later appointed national security aide in 2019.
A year after, he became the chief of staff to the Secretary of Defense. Patel is also an author, having published a memoir in 2023, along with two pro-Trump children’s books. One of these books, The Plot Against the King, features a character named Hillary Queenton, a thinly veiled reference to Hillary Clinton, who tries to depose “King Donald,” aided by a wizard named Kash the Distinguished Discoverer.
Patel is a vocal critic of the so-called “deep state,” a term used by some to describe an alleged network of unelected bureaucrats who secretly influence U.S. governance, and has labeled the media as “the most powerful enemy the United States has ever seen.”
He is also on the board of Trump Media and Technology Group, which owns the incoming president’s social media platform Truth Social.
Patel reportedly has had a consulting contract with the company that paid him at least $120,000 a year.
Chronister also comes with a long background in law enforcement.
He has worked in law enforcement in Florida for 32 years, according to his official bio, and he has served as the top law enforcement officer in Hillsborough County, Florida, since 2017.
On social media, Trump praised Chronister’s experience and reiterated his focus on drugs and the US border.
“As DEA Administrator, Chad will work with our great Attorney General, Pam Bondi, to secure the border, stop the flow of fentanyl, and other illegal drugs, across the southern border, and SAVE LIVES”, Trump wrote.
Writing on social media, Chronister said it was “the honor of a lifetime to be nominated” by Trump.
“I am deeply humbled by this opportunity to serve our nation.”
