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Donald Trump Picks Loyalist Kash Patel To Head FBI

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Republican President-elect Donald Trump said on Saturday he wanted former National Security official and loyalist Kash Patel to lead the FBI, signaling an intent to drive out the bureau’s current director, Christopher Wray.

Patel, who during Trump’s first term advised both the director of national intelligence and the secretary of defense, has previously called for stripping the FBI of its intelligence-gathering role and purging its ranks of any employee who refuses to support Trump’s agenda.

“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,” Patel said in a September interview on the conservative Shawn Ryan Show.

“And 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. Go be cops.”

With the nomination of Patel, Trump is signaling that he is preparing to carry out his threat to oust Wray, a Republican first appointed by Trump, whose 10-year term at the FBI does not expire until 2027.

Asked about Patel’s nomination, which will need Senate confirmation, an FBI spokesperson said on Saturday: “Every day, the men and women of the FBI continue to work to protect Americans from a growing array of threats. 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.”

FBI directors by law are appointed to 10-year terms as a means of insulating the bureau from politics.

Wray, whom Trump tapped after firing James Comey in 2017 for investigating his 2016 campaign, has been a frequent target of Trump supporters’ ire.

During Wray’s tenure, the FBI carried out a court-approved search at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate to look for classified documents and he has also faced criticism for his oversight role of a directive by Attorney General Merrick Garland aimed at working to protect local school boards from violent threats and harassment.

Special Counsel Jack Smith, who led the two federal prosecutions against Trump for his role in subverting the 2020 election and retaining classified documents, asked on Nov. 25 the judges overseeing those cases to dismiss them before Trump takes office on Jan. 20, citing a Justice Department policy of not prosecuting a sitting president.

Wray had previously signaled no intention of stepping down early and was busy planning events well into his 2025 calendar, according to a person familiar with the matter.

FORMER FEDERAL PUBLIC DEFENDER, PROSECUTOR

Patel, 44, previously worked as a federal public defender and a federal prosecutor.

He was instrumental in working to lead House Republicans’ probe into the FBI’s 2016 investigation into contacts between Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia during his stint as an aide to former House Intelligence Committee Chair Devin Nunes.

Later, during Trump’s first impeachment trial, ex-National Security Council official Fiona Hill told House investigators she was concerned Patel was secretly serving as a back channel between Trump and Ukraine without authorization.

Patel denied those allegations.

After Trump left office in January 2021, Patel was one of several people Trump designated as a representative for access to his presidential records. He was one of the few former Trump administration officials who claimed, without evidence, that Trump had declassified all of the records in question.

He was later subpoenaed to appear before a grand jury in connection with the probe.

As a private citizen, Patel wrote a book called “Government Gangsters” which Trump in 2023 declared would be used as a “roadmap to end the Deep State’s Reign.”

Patel’s nomination is likely to garner pushback from Senate Democrats and possibly even some Republicans, though Patel has received public support from some high-profile Republicans such as Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Trump also named Chad Chronister, sheriff of Hillsborough County, Florida, as his pick as administrator of the Drug Enforcement Agency, where he would work closely with Trump’s choice for attorney general, Pam Bondi.

Bondi is also from the Tampa area that Chronister serves.

“As DEA Administrator, Chad will work with our great Attorney General, Pam Bondi, to secure the Border, stop the flow of Fentanyl, and other Illegal Drugs, across the Southern Border, and SAVE LIVES,” Trump wrote on his social-media platform Truth Social.

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Portable Confronts Odunlade Adekola Over Viral Video With Babymama, Ashabi

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Controversial Nigerian musician, Portable, has confronted famous Nollywood actor, Odunlade Adekola, following his viral video with actress Ashabi Simple.

Recall that Portable’s fourth baby mama, Ashabi, was captured in a viral video hugging Odunlade while he playfully asked if she had taken permission from Portable about the hug.

In the trending clip shared by the actor on Instagram, he jokingly said, “Please, for God’s sake, hope you have taken permission from Portable before hugging me? Please go and inform him, 0oo.”

Responding to the video, Portable, who feels offended by the actor’s comment, took to his direct messages to question the motive behind the statement.

Portable wrote in Pidgin: “Wetin you talk inside that video with Ashabi Simple? Please, I respect my home and I no dey use am do movie. Why you go talk say she tell me before coming? Shey una no dey collect money for her hand ni?”

“But why everybody dey talk say I get wahala? Make una dey talk good about me. Me self, I dey loyal, o. Loyalty pass juju.”

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‘Misbehave Again, No Mercy Next Time,’ Burna Boy To Speed Darlington After Release

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Grammy-winning artiste Burna Boy has seemingly issued a cautionary message to Speed Darlington following his recent release from prison.

Darlington was arrested on November 27 while performing at a show in Owerri, Imo state. He was accused of cyberstalking Burna Boy, the Grammy-winning artiste.

Darlington had taunted Burna Boy over his affiliation with the embattled US rapper Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ who is facing multiple charges for sexual exploitation and human trafficking.

He asked Burna Boy to explain how he won the Grammy award for his album ‘Twice As Tall’ — a project executive produced by Diddy. He claimed there was a sexual relationship between the duo.

After two months in the Kuje prison, Darlington was released on Tuesday.

In a now-deleted post via his Instagram story, Burna Boy warned that there would be no leniency if such a situation arose.

“If you like misbehave again, you will go back to where you come from! And this time around, there will be no mercy! Don’t mess with ODG,” he wrote, although he did not mention names.

The police in Abuja first detained Darlington in October 2024 after a formal complaint filed by Burna Boy.

He was, however, released on bail after five days in police detention.

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Just In: Ekweremadu’s Wife Freed From UK Prision, Returns To Nigeria

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The wife of former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, Mrs. Beatrice Ekweremadu, has returned to Nigeria after being released from a UK prison.

Mrs Ekweremadu reportedly arrived in Nigeria on Tuesday.

It will be recalled that Senator Ike Ekweremadu, his wife Beatrice, and a medical doctor, Dr. Obinna Obeta, were convicted in the United Kingdom for their involvement in a controversial organ harvesting case.

The UK court sentenced Senator Ekweremadu to 10 years in prison, while Mrs. Ekweremadu received a six-year sentence.

Recall that Senator Ekweremadu, the wife and one Dr Obinna Obeta were sentenced to prison by a UK court for their involvement in organ harvesting.

The UK court sentenced Senator Ekweremadu to 10 years in prison, while Mrs. Ekweremadu received a six-year sentence.

 

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