Kash Patel, President-elect Donald Trump's pick to replace Christopher Wray as director of the FBI, has threatened to "come after the people in the media who lied about American citizens" and "helped Joe Biden rig presidential elections." What exactly does he mean by that? Given the position that Patel will hold if he is confirmed by the Senate, the answer could have serious implications not only for the anti-Trump journalists he has in mind but also for freedom of the press generally.
Patel, a former defense attorney and federal prosecutor who held national security positions during Trump's first term, made those remarks during a December 2023 interview with former Trump strategist Steve Bannon. He was responding to this question from Bannon:
