WASHINGTON (AP) - Donald Trump's drive to upend the FBI was welcomed by Republican senators although it was not clear on Sunday how strongly members of the incoming majority party would embrace his move to install ally Kash Patel as the next director of the Justice Department's top investigative arm.
Patel, a onetime national security prosecutor who is aligned with the president-elect's rhetoric about a "deep state," "must prove to Congress he will reform & restore public trust in FBI," said Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, in line to be the Senate Judiciary Committee chairman when Republicans take control in January, in a post on X.
Patel lacks the high-level legal and management experience that FBI directors, including Robert Mueller, James Comey and Christopher Wray, who now holds that job, had before their nominations. It's a 10-year term, and Trump named Wray in 2017 after firing Comey. So Trump's announcement late Saturday means Wray must either resign or be fired after Trump takes office on Jan. 20, 2025.
"Every president wants people that are loyal to themselves," said Sen. Mike Round, R-S.D., on ABC´s "This Week." But he called Wray "a very good man" picked by Trump himself, and "I don´t have any complaints about the way that he´s done his job right now."
A president has "the right to make nominations," Rounds said, before noting the job is normally for 10 years, a length meant to insulate the FBI from the political influence of changing administrations.
"We´ll see what his process is, and whether he actually makes that nomination. And then, if he does... once they´ve been nominated by the president... we still go through a process" of providing advice and consent under the Constitution," Rounds said.
Other Republicans who appeared on Sunday news shows were in Patel's corner.
"There are serious problems at the FBI. The American public knows it. They expect to see sweeping change..." said Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., adding Patel has "relevant experience" to head the FBI.
During Trump's first term, Patel was an aide at various governmental roles including at Defense Department.
"Patel played a pivotal role in uncovering... standing as an advocate for truth..." Trump wrote Saturday night in a social media post.
The selection aligns with Trump's view for reformation within law enforcement agencies and reflects his desire for retribution against supposed adversaries.
Grassley stated: "...it was time to chart a new course for transparency + accountability at FBI."
"All of... people pulling their hair out are dismayed about having a real reformer come into the FBI," Cruz told CBS' "Face The Nation."Democrats expressed opposition:
"Patel´s only qualification is agreeing with Donald Trump..." said Sen. Chris Murphy D-Conn., on NBC.