Donald Trump picks Kash Patel as FBI director

Donald Trump has chosen Kash Patel to be Federal Bureau of Investigation director, moving to force out the bureau's current leader, Christopher Wray, before the end of his 10-year term in favor of a fierce loyalist who has promised to upend the nation's premier law-enforcement agency.

- Sadie Gurman

His selection, which could face an uphill confirmation fight next year in the Senate, marks the start of what the president-elect hopes will be a major shake-up of an agency with which he has constantly sparred. Patel has said he would fire its senior leaders and prosecute agents he thinks abused their authority, as part of a far-ranging plan to shrink its size and power.

In a post on Truth Social on Saturday evening, Trump said Patel, 44 years old, has "spent his career exposing corruption, defending Justice, and protecting the American People." Trump said Patel will "bring back Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity to the FBI."

Trump late Saturday also announced he wants Hillsborough County, Fla., Sheriff Chad Chronister to lead the Drug Enforcement Administration, to replace Anne Milgram, a Biden appointee who was expected to leave at the start of Trump's term.

The selection of Patel means Trump effectively is firing Wray, whom he appointed during his first term in 2017 after dismissing Wray's predecessor, James Comey. And it signals other major changes lie ahead for the bureau. The president-elect has threatened to seek retribution against political rivals.

The FBI didn't directly address Wray's future in a statement Saturday night.

"Every day, the men and women of the FBI continue to work to protect Americans from a growing array of threats," the bureau said in a statement. "Director Wray's focus remains on the men and women of the FBI, the people we do the work with, and the people we do the work for."

While Trump had long been considering Patel for top national-security roles, including at the FBI, his selection as director came as a surprise to some within the Justice Department. Trump had been also considering more-mainstream choices such as former Rep. Mike Rogers, who had worked as a special agent, and Chris Swecker, who worked in the bureau for 24 years, including in senior roles.