WEST PALM BEACH, Florida - Several Republican US senators said on Dec 1 they would back President-elect Donald Trump's choice of Mr Kash Patel to head the FBI, an early show of support for a loyalist who has called for the bureau to be purged of those who oppose Trump's agenda.
Mr Patel, nominated by Trump on Nov 30, also has advocated for a campaign of retribution against Trump's perceived enemies.
Mr Patel, 44, could face a challenging confirmation process with the US Senate. During Trump's first term, Mr Patel, who advised both the director of national intelligence and the defense secretary, drew animosity from some more experienced national security officials, who saw him as volatile and too eager to please the then-president.
While some Democrats on Dec 1 voiced concerns that the law enforcement agency would become politicised and a tool for Trump to pursue adversaries under Mr Patel, several senior Republican senators praised Trump's pick.
"There are serious problems at the FBI. The American public knows it. They expect to see sweeping change, and Kash Patel is just the type of person to do it," Mr Hagerty said.
"A very strong nominee," Republican US Senator Ted Cruz called Mr Patel. He added that Mr Patel was a "real reformer" who would enter the FBI "to clean out the corrupted partisans" running the agency.
Republicans will have a majority when the new US Congress reconvenes in January.
By nominating Mr Patel, Trump is signaling that he is preparing to carry out his threat to oust current FBI Director Christopher Wray, whose 10-year term does not expire until 2027.
Mr Wray, a Republican appointed by Trump in 2017, has since drawn his ire especially after an FBI raid in 2022 on Trump's Mar-a-Lago Florida estate to search for classified government documents.
"Kash Patel must prove to Congress he will reform and restore public trust in FBI," Mr Grassley said. REUTERS