Scoop: Trump likely to tap loyalist Kash Patel for top FBI or DOJ post
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Kash Patel speaks at a Trump rally in Arizona last month. Photo: Rebecca Noble/Getty Images
President-elect Trump is expected to appoint ultra loyalist Kash Patel to a high-profile position at either the FBI or the Justice Department, top transition sources tell Axios.
Why it matters: Patel would be a deeply controversial pick for any leadership role, especially FBI director. Given the hurdles Patel might face winning Senate confirmation, Trump is considering naming him deputy director or to an appointed investigative role within DOJ, the sources said.
State of play: A final decision hasn't been made. Trump still could change his mind, including by elevating Patel all the way to FBI director — a move that would send Gaetz-like shockwaves throughout Washington.
- "Kash has a lot of allies who think placing him in a top role would be well-received by the Trump base, and send a clear message that Trump is serious about major reform to the justice and law-enforcement agencies," a transition source told Axios.
- Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey also is being considered for FBI director after Trump chose Pam Bondi to lead the Justice Department. But a consensus pick hasn't emerged.
What they're saying: "President-elect Trump has made brilliant decisions on who will serve in his second administration at lightning pace. Remaining decisions will continue to be announced by him when they are made," Trump transition spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told Axios.
The big picture: Trump has signaled he will fire current FBI director Christopher Wray, whom he nominated in 2017 to serve a 10-year term after ousting James Comey.
- Trump has viewed the FBI with deep distrust dating back to the bureau's 2016 probe into his campaign's alleged ties to Russia, which later turned into the Mueller investigation.
- Trump sees the FBI and the Justice Department as the heart of the so-called "Deep State" — a cabal of bureaucrats that Trump believes sabotaged his first presidency — and is intent on rooting out non-loyalists in his second term.
Zoom in: Patel, who rose to prominence waging war against the Russia investigation as an aide to former Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), shares those aims.
- Patel served on Trump's National Security Council and later as chief of staff to acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller, before publishing a book in 2023 that Trump praised as a "blueprint" for purging the government of "corrupt" actors.
- Patel has openly discussed retaliation against Trump's political enemies in government and media, and wrote in his book: "[T]he FBI has become so thoroughly compromised that it will remain a threat to the people unless drastic measures are taken."
- "No part of the FBI's mission is safe with Kash Patel in any position of leadership in the FBI, and certainly not in the deputy director's job," former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe told CNN last week.
Flashback: Former CIA director Gina Haspel threatened to resign in December 2020 after Trump concocted a plan to install Patel as her deputy, as Axios first reported.
Zoom out: Bailey is also a Trump loyalist, but his experience and traditional conservative credentials would likely pave a smoother path to confirmation by the Senate.
- As Missouri attorney general, Bailey has led high-profile lawsuits against the Biden administration's student loan forgiveness program and alleged censorship on social media.
- Bailey also sued the state of New York for alleged election interference and wrongful prosecution after Trump was convicted on 34 felony counts in his Manhattan hush-money case.
Between the lines: In a Cabinet stocked with a dizzying array of ideological rivals, the FBI has emerged as the final battleground in a fierce tug-of-war between MAGA and traditional Republicans.
- Former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) was believed to be among the finalists for FBI director, before MAGA influencers intervened to kill his possible nomination.
- "Just spoke to President Trump regarding Mike Rogers going to the FBI. It's not happening — in his own words, "I have never even given it a thought," Trump aide Dan Scavino tweeted as the rebellion brewed last week.
