Written by Johnah Halpern

Just a few weeks ago, Kash Patel was picked by President Trump as the next Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He first needs to be confirmed by the Senate, however. Mere weeks later, the former director, Christopher Wray, has resigned. Given this information, one might wonder what can be expected from such a critical move (we will soon see why it is so critical), and what this means for the Bureau moving forward. Here’s an analysis of everything you need to know about the move, and what Patel’s potential impact on the Bureau could look like. 

First and foremost, he is a staunch pro-Trump advocate. They share a very common vision in terms of government; for example, they both use the pejorative “The Deep State” when referring to how they will slash Washington D.C. Bureaucracy. They both view that the numerous legal cases brought against Trump should not have been brought, they both conclude that the “Mainstream Media” is untrustworthy and full of lies; that the 2020 election was rigged; that the Russiagate hoax should not have been investigated by the FBI, etc.

Indeed, Patel attended Trump’s classified documents trial in New York, where he articulated to reporters his viewpoint: that Trump was the victim of an “unconstitutional circus.” In an interview with Steve Bannon, a political strategist, Patel promised that he and others “will go out and find the conspirators not just in government but in the media.” He went further, pledging that ”we’re going to come after the people in the media who lied about American citizens who helped Joe Biden rig presidential elections.” However you may feel about these claims, one thing stands out unambiguously: Patel is not a fair-weather friend willing to dump Trump for his own selfish motives; rather, he is a staunch supporter who pledges to stick by him regardless of the public perception. 

Now that we’ve covered the basics of Patel’s political identity, we can begin to peruse, or more accurately, predict, what to expect throughout his tenure as FBI Director. To start, we can point to his background as an aide in the Trump administration. This indicates his plans for an agenda aimed at increasing transparency with the public and, as illustrated throughout his rhetoric, bringing accountability to the Bureau. The most infamous instance is when Patel asserts that “The biggest problem the FBI has had, has come out of its intel shops. I’d break that component out of it. I’d shut down the FBI Hoover building on day one and reopen it the next day as a museum of the deep state. . . . I’d take the 7,000 employees that work in that building and send them across America to chase down criminals. Go be cops. You’re cops.” [The Shawn Ryan show] Not only would this fit seamlessly with his plan to shut down “The Deep State”, but it would also significantly reduce their influence and enforce accountability.

A recent Gallup poll found that only 41% of Americans rate the FBI’s performance as “excellent” or “good,” the lowest approval rating this century. As a result, Patel is the new hope for a currently broken and brittle agency; however, critics worry that his bullish and aggressive approach may deepen divisions rather than bridge them. Balancing the need for reform with the FBI’s institutional integrity will be his toughest challenge. Sooner or later though, he will have to face the challenge. Alas, we can predict Patel’s ultimate goal as FBI Director – to restore public trust back to the Bureau.