Donald Trump’s controversial decision to have Kash Patel to head up the FBIwas not his first choice, according to a new report.
The MAGA loyalist was being considered as deputy director of the bureau, an appointment that may have raised fewer eyebrows, with Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey a frontrunner for the top job.
However, a source in the Trump transition team told Axios that Bailey’s interview at Mar-a-Lago did not go well and that he “looked the part” but “just didn’t have the presence in the room.”
It is understood that chemistry with the President-elect is very important when appointments are being made. Patel is a long-standing and loyal Trump supporter.
Patel has for years been a loyal ally to Trump, finding common cause over their shared skepticism of government surveillance and the “deep state” — a pejorative catchall used by Trump to refer to government bureaucracy.
He was part of a small group of supporters during Trump’s recent criminal trial in New York who accompanied him to the courthouse, where he told reporters that Trump was the victim of an “unconstitutional circus.”
His appointment is somewhat of a departure from the modern-day precedent of FBI directors looking to keep presidents at arm’s length.
But a transition insider told Axios the choice of Patel was a "personal message to the left that was cheering on Jack Smith" — the special counsel who was prosecuting Trump, who has since called off his cases.
Patel’s loyalty was also demonstrated by his outspoken criticism of the FBI’s investigation into potential ties between Russia and Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. He has also played a role in several of the legal investigations into Trump.
He appeared in 2022 before the Washington grand jury investigating Trump’s hoarding of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida after receiving immunity for his testimony – one of the cases dropped by Smith.
He also testified at a Colorado court hearing related to Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in the run-up to the violent January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
