Trump nominates Kash Patel for FBI director

[Akita Suggagaki]

D's did not force them to vote Trump in the primaries.

That is true. That is on them.

 

[durangodawood]

That's your opinion. He's entitled to one too.

Everyone is entitled to think stupid things and announce them to the world. So what?

 

[durangodawood]

I must have missed that part. He said flat out he wants to eliminate FBI HQ? Or is that just the latest crystal ball prediction?

He said it flat out.

 

[ozso]

He said it flat out.

Okay. I'm up to speed on it now. Not so sure reform is going to be a bad thing though.

 

[ozso]

No? just talk about injecting disinfectant and lying to the people about the severity of COVID. Damage to our allied relationships, etc

That's the I hate Trump with a passion view which I didn't hold to, so I didn't see it that way. And even so that certainly wasn't Hitler destroying democracy.

 

[DaisyDay]

Why should we accept them when another said this .

"Kash Patel was my deputy Director of National Intelligence when I was Acting. I can’t tell you how many people said to me ‘wow.’ He’s nothing like the media portrays him. I love him,” former acting Director of National Intelligence Ric Grenell posted on X.

"Kash Patel served a Snr. Director for counterterrorism when I was National Security Advisor. I was able to count on him to get any job done no matter how complex or difficult the task. He handled some of the nation’s most sensitive issues with care and discretion,” former National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien said.

Acting Director of National Intelligence - he was slipped in during a Senate recess, never vetted or confirmed, just anointed. That's a real confidence builder!

Trump’s Pick for Intelligence Chief Represents a Step Forward for Gay Rights

Not long ago, Richard Grenell would have been disqualified for his sexuality. It’s a pity, however, that he’s not the right candidate for such an…

foreignpolicy.com

February 26, 2020, 7:03 AM

There are growing reasons to fear that Richard Grenell is a security risk for the United States. ProPublica has reported that Grenell, the U.S. ambassador to Germany and newly designated acting director of national intelligence, failed to disclose work for Moldovan oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc, who is barred from entering the United States under anti-corruption sanctions. Disclosure of such paid work is required under the Foreign Agents Registration Act—the same law that both Paul Manafort and Rick Gates were convicted of violating.
​

 

[rjs330]

Everyone is entitled to think stupid things and announce them to the world. So what?

Right, so what? You announce stupid opinions too. As do I, as has Biden and Harris. Trump has many people and politicians. So what?

 

[rjs330]

Acting Director of National Intelligence - he was slipped in during a Senate recess, never vetted or confirmed, just anointed. That's a real confidence builder!

Trump’s Pick for Intelligence Chief Represents a Step Forward for Gay Rights

Not long ago, Richard Grenell would have been disqualified for his sexuality. It’s a pity, however, that he’s not the right candidate for such an…

foreignpolicy.com

February 26, 2020, 7:03 AM

There are growing reasons to fear that Richard Grenell is a security risk for the United States. ProPublica has reported that Grenell, the U.S. ambassador to Germany and newly designated acting director of national intelligence, failed to disclose work for Moldovan oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc, who is barred from entering the United States under anti-corruption sanctions. Disclosure of such paid work is required under the Foreign Agents Registration Act—the same law that both Paul Manafort and Rick Gates were convicted of violating.
​

None of that invalidates his experience with Kash or his thoughts on him.

 

[RocksInMyHead]

None of that invalidates his experience with Kash or his thoughts on him.

Sure, but I give more weight to the assessment of someone who employed the guy for 8 months in a position where he had real responsibilities than someone who was his boss for 3 months in a position where he was simply an advisor.

 

[rjs330]

Sure, but I give more weight to the assessment of someone who employed the guy for 8 months in a position where he had real responsibilities than someone who was his boss for 3 months in a position where he was simply an advisor.

I see the guy had no real responsibilities. A five month difference. Okay. His was only one I posted. I'm sure there will be others who will support him as well. Funny how the lame stream media is trying so hard to sink any reformer that Trump.chooses. it's almost line they don't want any government reforms. Well, buckle up people, the war against Trump is only beginning.

 

[RocksInMyHead]

I see the guy had no real responsibilities.

I mean, even his DoD biography blurb just says:

Mr. Patel also served as Principal Deputy to the Acting Director of National Intelligence, where he oversaw the operations of all 17 intelligence community agencies and provided the President’s Daily Briefing.

Kashyap P. Patel

Mr. Patel served as the former Chief of Staff to Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller and is responsible for leading the Secretary’s mission at the Department, including his executive staff

www.defense.gov

That's pretty weak for something that's supposed to highlight his experience. It reads like resume-padding.

His was only one I posted. I'm sure there will be others who will support him as well.

Perhaps, and if they do, I'll take their evaluations into account. But Grenell's praise is vague and based on a very short working relationship, so I don't lend it a lot of credence.

Funny how the lame stream media is trying so hard to sink any reformer that Trump.chooses. it's almost line they don't want any government reforms. Well, buckle up people, the war against Trump is only beginning.

 

[DaisyDay]

None of that invalidates his experience with Kash or his thoughts on him.

Sure, but it lowers it from being an expert opinion of some sort to just another sycophant's.

ETA: ah rats! Rocks beat me to this.

 

[wing2000]

....the company a man keeps.

"In the years between the first Trump administration and the announcement of his nomination as FBI director, Kash Patel kept a regular schedule of Trump-happy podcast interviews to hawk his books, solicit donations to his causes, and keep his brand fresh. No platform, it seemed, was too kooky for him. In 2021 and 2022, he made no fewer than six appearances on the show of anti-vaccine maniac Stew Peters, who is widely regarded as a white nationalist.

Peters is one of the foulest and most conspiratorial goons in the alt-right podcast space. His big break came in 2022 with the noxious film Died Suddenly, which argued that the COVID-19 vaccines were causing mass death that authorities were covering up. But he’s perhaps most notable for his shockingly violent rhetoric: He’s repeatedly called for the public executions of Anthony Fauci, Alejandro Mayorkas, and Hunter Biden.

In February 2022, Peters appeared at an event hosted by white nationalist podcaster Nick Fuentes to proclaim that Fauci “should be hanging at the end of a noose somewhere,” sparking cheers and chants of “hang him up” from the crowd. Patel appeared on Peters’ podcast two days later.

In his appearances, Patel joined in Peters’s regular diatribes against our supposedly depraved elites. Episode titles included “Vaxxed Mind Control Zombies Advocate for WWIII With Russia to Save Zelensky’s Fake Democracy,” “Biden Wants War: Warmongering Elites Salivating Over Conflict With Putin,” and “Kash Patel to Kyle Rittenhouse: Sue Biden, I’ll Help.”

“You’ve got a great show,” Patel told Peters on one sign-off. At another, he was similarly effusive: “Always love coming on your show.”

Kash Patel’s Podcast Problem

Prior to being a nominee to run the FBI, Patel appeared on a white nationalist’s program—multiple times.

open.substack.com

 

[essentialsaltes]

Kash Patel threatens to sue former national security adviser to vice president Pence, Olivia Troye, unless she retracts 'defamatory' statements about him.

Troye's lawyer notes that he's already pursuing sanctions in two cases against Patel's lawyer for such nonsense, and in closing:

 

[Vambram]

I see that the personal smear campaign by those, in public life of the political world and the left wing media, who cannot stand Kash Patel continues and that said personal smear attacks probably won't ever end. They have personal negative feelings towards Patel, in my opinion, and are letting their feelings clouding their judgment. On the other hand, Donald Trump won a resounding Electoral College victory and therefore as POTUS, he ought to able to choose who the new director of the FBI shall be.

 

[essentialsaltes]

On the other hand, Donald Trump won a resounding Electoral College victory and therefore as POTUS, he ought to able to choose who the new director of the FBI shall be.

The Senate, constitutionally, does advise and (if it chooses) consent to his nominations.

 

[Vambram]

The Senate, constitutionally, does advise and (if it chooses) consent to his nominations.

All of us here know that, you ain't giving new information, sir.

Can Patel be confirmed by the Senate?
Republicans may have won control of the Senate, but his confirmation is not assured.



There are no doubt lawmakers who support Trump’s desire for a radically overhauled FBI, particularly following federal investigations that resulted in two separate indictments against the president-elect, and who share his sentiment that federal law enforcement has been “weaponized” against conservatives.
Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, in line to be the Senate Judiciary Committee chairman when Republicans take control in January, said in a post on X that Wray “has failed at fundamental duties” and that it was time to “chart a new course 4 TRANSPARENCY +ACCOUNTABILITY at FBI.”
But, he added, Patel “must prove to Congress he will reform & restore public trust in FBI.”
Patel is likely to face deep skepticism during his confirmation hearings over his stated plans to rid the government of “conspirators” against Trump, and his claims that he would shut down the FBI’s Pennsylvania Avenue headquarters in the nation’s capital and send the thousands of employees who work there to “chase down criminals” across the country.
And while Trump may have wanted a loyalist willing to pursue retribution against his perceived adversaries, that perspective is likely to give pause to senators who believe that the FBI and Justice Department should operate free of political influence and not be tasked with carrying out a president’s personal agenda.
Foreshadowing the potentially bruising confirmation fight ahead, Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, who is expected to the the ranking Democrat next year on the Judiciary Committee, called Patel “an unqualified loyalist” and said in a statement that “the Senate should reject this unprecedented effort to weaponize the FBI for the campaign of retribution that Donald Trump has promised.”
Trump has also raised the prospect of using recess appointments to push his nominees through the Senate.

https://apnews.com/article/trump-fbi-kash-patel-what-happens-next-6b2678baba229362d25b468ed2f61f87

 

[wing2000]

I see that the personal smear campaign by those, in public life of the political world and the left wing media, who cannot stand Kash Patel continues and that said personal smear attacks probably won't ever end.

The Bulwark is not the left by an stretch of the imagination.

They have personal negative feelings towards Patel, in my opinion, and are letting their feelings clouding their judgment. On the other hand, Donald Trump won a resounding Electoral College victory and therefore as POTUS, he ought to able to choose who the new director of the FBI shall be.

I will continue to judge Patel based on his past words and actions.
And you will continue to ignore all of it...I'm sure.

 

[Vambram]

The Bulwark is not the left by an stretch of the imagination.



I will continue to judge Patel based on his past words and actions.
And you will continue to ignore all of it...I'm sure.

I am NOT ignoring any of Patel's past words and actions.

 

[DaisyDay]

I see that the personal smear campaign by those, in public life of the political world and the left wing media, who cannot stand Kash Patel continues and that said personal smear attacks probably won't ever end. They have personal negative feelings towards Patel, in my opinion, and are letting their feelings clouding their judgment. On the other hand, Donald Trump won a resounding Electoral College victory and therefore as POTUS, he ought to able to choose who the new director of the FBI shall be.

The reason the term of appointment is 10 years is to avoid the politicization of the office. Clearly, that can be bypassed.