For months, former President Donald Trump planned to fire FBI Director Christopher Wray if he were re-elected. However, in recent days, Trump has struggled to find the right person who can both carry out his agenda and easily pass the Senate.
The challenge has been compounded by the fact that Trump’s initial nominee for attorney general, Matt Gaetz, faces the risk of not being confirmed by the Senate. Gaetz has been controversial because he has been investigated for prostitution and obstruction of justice.
On November 21, Mr. Gaetz withdrew from the position of US Attorney General candidate and President-elect Trump announced his choice of Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi as his replacement just a few hours later.
Mr. Trump leaves after a meeting with Republican senators at the Senate Republican Committee office in Washington DC, June 13. (Photo: Bloomberg)
Mr Trump has now weighed a potential choice: appointing Mike Rogers, a former FBI agent and former Michigan congressman who narrowly lost a Senate race, as FBI director, while naming Kash Patel, a MAGA loyalist, as deputy director.
The plan could satisfy Senate Republicans who are concerned about Mr Trump's plans to reform the FBI, while also placating the MAGA movement, which is frustrated that more of its allies are not being promoted to top positions.
Analyst Andrew McCabe, former deputy director of the FBI in the first Trump administration, said that Mike Rogers would be a “perfectly logical choice” to lead the agency. Rogers has a deep understanding of the intelligence community and extensive experience working at the FBI.
However, McCabe did not have a positive assessment of Mr. Kash Patel. On CNN 's "The Source" program on November 21, McCabe said that the FBI's missions would no longer be safe with Mr. Kash Patel in any leadership position in the agency, especially the position of deputy director.
“I cannot imagine that an outsider with no experience in the organization, no knowledge of the work and the scope of authority involved could lead such an agency,” said McCabe, who was fired by Mr. Trump hours before his retirement in 2018.
Mr. Trump interviewed several candidates at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. Some names were dropped from the running but quickly returned, and Mr. Trump also fielded calls from old friends about the matter.
According to CNN , Mr. Trump initially considered proposals from his right-wing allies to appoint Mr. Patel to the top position in the FBI, but such a choice could face opposition from Republicans, especially in the Senate. Therefore, the President-elect considered Mr. Patel for the position of deputy director of the FBI.
President-elect Donald Trump is considering a leadership shakeup at the FBI. (Photo: CNN)
Mr Patel had previously lobbied to become FBI director, sources said, where he would be well-positioned to investigate Mr Trump’s political opponents and declassify sensitive information related to election interference.
Mr Patel has long expressed his intention to “purge the conspirators” in the federal government and the media.
“We’re going to go after those in the media who lied about American citizens, who helped Joe Biden rig the presidential election. Whether it’s criminally or civilly, we’re going to find a way,” Patel told former Trump adviser Stephen K. Bannon in an interview in late 2023.
A former public defender known for his hostility to intelligence agencies, Mr. Patel rose to many positions of power in President Trump's first-term administration.
Patel was considered a potential candidate when Trump considered firing then-CIA director Gina Haspel after the 2020 election. Trump also considered appointing Patel as deputy FBI director in the final weeks of his first term.
Deputy FBI director is a career title — not a political appointment. Then-Attorney General William Barr persuaded President-elect Trump not to nominate Patel to lead the FBI at that time.
According to US media, Mr. Trump's hostile attitude towards the intelligence community is related to the famous document that Russia interfered in the 2016 US presidential election against Mrs. Hillary Clinton.
Although the FBI quickly discovered that the dossier was false and that someone had funded it, they continued to use it to spy on Mr. Trump's campaign and presidency.
“Trump is intent on going after the intelligence community,” said a former senior US intelligence official. “He’s started that process before and will do it again. Part of that process is rooting out and punishing those involved.”
Many other officials also warned that such a move, if it happened, could "undermine the credibility of US intelligence."
Source: https://vtcnews.vn/he-lo-ke-hoach-cai-to-fbi-cua-ong-trump-ar909155.html
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