FBI and CIA Directors

Piece by Sophia Korman

Photo: Reuters

Two of the most important decisions in terms of national security are the president’s pick for the director of the FBI as well as the director of the CIA. President Trump wasted no time in making his decisions, which have been received with conflicting opinions. But who exactly are Trump’s candidates? Kash Patel is Trump’s pick for the director of the FBI. Patel attended Pace University of Law, graduating in 2005, before working as a public defender in Florida for nine years. He then worked in the Department of Justice in the National Security Division as a federal prosecutor. Patel has experience in prosecution of terrorists and worked with Trump in his first term as a member of the National Security Council prior to becoming chief of staff for Christopher Miller, the Secretary of Defense at the time. Allegedly, Trump was considering making him director of the FBI during his first term as well.

Patel is considered a relatively controversial figure, with many outside of, as well as some within, Trump’s circle scorning his pick as candidate. Senators and former attorney general, Bill Barr, scorned the pick, with Barr stating that Patel “had virtually no experience that would qualify him” while several Democrats from the Senate argued he only brought loyalty to Trump to the position. One, Senator Chris Murphy, argued that Patel would only target political opponents of Trump. Additionally, Patel was involved in the classified documents case that brought forty felony counts against Trump, however, he was never charged. Those in the Republican party argue Patel will eliminate bias in the FBI and holds excess amounts of experience in security that prime him for the position.

Patel was originally selected in November and was officially nominated after Trump’s inauguration. As of February 13th, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to pass the nomination along to the Senate itself in a vote of 12-10. The Senate is currently controlled by the Republican party, so it will certainly be interesting to see how the rest of the selection process pans out. 

As for the position of director of the CIA, Trump selected John Ratcliffe for the role. Ratcliffe earned his bachelors from the University of Notre Dame and went on to attend Southern Methodist University for law school. After graduation, Ratcliffe spent some time as a private attorney before successfully running for mayor of Heath, Texas. He was a member of the House of Representatives on behalf of Texas for three terms before resigning during his final term to serve as Trump’s director of national intelligence during his first presidency. 

Ratcliffe faced several issues prior to his stint as the director of national intelligence, even withdrawing after his initial nomination. Democrats felt he was underqualified, and he lacked support in the Republican party. Trump kept pushing through, and Ratcliffe was eventually named director after a very close vote from the Senate. He is also considered a loyalist and defendant to Trump, with a history of scorning Trump’s impeachment process. Currently, Ratcliffe is pushing for China to be registered as a threat by the United States. He has consistently made comments about the dangers of the country, and after his confirmation of the role on January 23rd, it is likely that policies to combat Chinese influence will be put into place. 

Overall, Trump’s picks for these two positions are no stranger to controversy, however, it appears that the Republican party is beginning to rally around these individuals after a tumultuous road to nomination. Both Patel and Ratcliffe have experience in law and national security, which is hopefully indicative of positives to come.