President-elect Donald Trump certainly seems to have a flair for the dramatic when it comes to the timing and quality of his announced cabinet and administration picks.
One of his latest is no exception to that. On Saturday evening, Trump announced that — as many of his supporters had hoped — he would be nominating Kash Patel to serve as FBI Director in his new administration.
This, of course, set heads on the Left (and the Establishment Right) spinning.
Following the announcement, the FBI issued a rather bland statement via a spokesperson.
“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.”
Sure, Jan. I can’t imagine Chris Wray’s given a moment’s thought to where he’ll land after January 20, 2025. Not an ounce of energy spent attempting to ensure nothing will come back to bite him.
Meanwhile, several notable former FBI agents have weighed in on the choice — with delight. The Trump-Vance Transition Team put out an email collecting the statements of several:
Former FBI Agents believe that Kash Patel is the right pick to reform the FBI.
Ben Sothers, a former FBI agent, told The Washington Times: “I like him. … I think he can certainly bring the cultural changes needed in the bureau. It seems like he prioritizes the Constitution and the American people over political initiatives, which is how an FBI director should be… He’s a really transparent guy who was a public defender, so he understands due process to an extent that most people won’t.”
Dal Rae Beach, a former supervisory special agent who worked at the bureau for 13 years, told The Washington Times that Kash is the “kind of director we really need” and praised his “amazing background in national security.”
Daniel Boyer, a former FBI special agent of 24 years, told The Washington Times, “He seems like a no-nonsense guy. I’m just so tired of the same old, same old.”
Kash Patel has received widespread praise since President Trump’s announcement Saturday night.
Former National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien wrote: “President [Donald Trump] has made America safer & more just by his nomination of Kash Patel as Director of the FBI. He will be a worthy successor to my friend, Christopher Wray. Kash Patel served [as] a Snr. Director for counterterrorism when I was National Security Advisor. I was able to count on him to get any job done no matter how complex or difficult the task. He handled some of the nation’s most sensitive issues with care and discretion. From assisting President Trump in the take down of ISIS and bringing justice to Kayla Mueller’s murderer – al Baghdadi – to risking his life in Syria for hostage Austin Tice, Kash Patel fought for America. I have no doubt that Kash Patel will inspire our line FBI agents who want to fight crime, destroy the cartels, capture spies, and jail mobsters, thugs, fraudsters and traffickers.”
And in a Fox News column, David Marcus wrote: “What Patel can bring to the FBI is fairness, honesty, the actual blindfold that lady justice is supposed to wear. No good person should fear that, it should not threaten anything true or just.”
Other former agents were sufficiently enthused that one could practically hear their war whoops via Twitter/X.
Oh, I expect the confirmation process will be a doozy, as they say, but I’m not gonna lie: This one change might be the most refreshing of all — and I am here for it.
