Former Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe expressed [1] alarm over President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of Kash Patel to serve as the next director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
McCabe, who briefly served as acting FBI director following the firing of James Comey in 2017, called Patel’s nomination a “terrible development” for the bureau and the nation.
McCabe, currently a law enforcement analyst for CNN, voiced his concerns during a segment on Saturday evening. “Yeah, well, it’s a terrible development for the men and women of the FBI and also for the nation that depends on a highly functioning, professional, independent Federal Bureau of Investigation,” McCabe said.
Patel, a veteran attorney and intelligence analyst, previously served as a senior advisor to the director of national intelligence and held roles with the National Security Council.
He also worked as a federal prosecutor handling national security cases.
Despite his extensive experience, McCabe argued that Patel is “profoundly unqualified” to lead the FBI.
Andy McCabe says Kash Patel is unqualified to be FBI director
Kash is a fmr US official, federal prosecutor, and private attorney
Just like:
Chris Wray
James Comey
Robert Mueller
All were prior to becoming FBI Directors
— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) December 1, 2024 [2]
Kash Patel has prosecuted more cases than Kamala Harris
Write that down https://t.co/5k6iofT1d7 [3]
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) December 1, 2024 [4]
KASH PATEL’S BACKGROUND
- Kash served as the Chief of Staff to the Department of Defense (DoD) and Deputy Assistant to President Trump. As the Chief of Staff at DoD, his responsibilities included implementing the Secretary’s no fail mission with over 3 million plus employees, operating a $740 billion budget, and $2 trillion in assets.
- Kash served as Deputy Director of National Intelligence where he oversaw all 17 Intelligence Community (IC) agencies, and prioritized intelligence collection to focus on hard targets and global threats. He led the Director’s mission to synthesize our intelligence holdings and create the President’s Daily Briefing, which he then briefed to the President and cabinet officials.
- Kash led President Trump’s counterterrorism mission as Deputy Assistant to the President on the National Security Council (NSC) and helped President Trump’s on his top priorities including eliminating Al-Qa’ida and ISIS senior leadership, and safely repatriating dozens of American hostages. As the top counterterrorism official at the White House, Kash was responsible for creating and implementing our nation’s policy to safeguard the homeland by overseeing the interagency implementation of the national CT strategy.
- Kash served as the National Security Advisor and Senior Counsel for the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) where he spearheaded the investigation into the Russian active measures campaign to influence the 2016 presidential election (Russia Gate). The investigation discovered numerous illegal surveillance measures undertaken by the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to unlawfully spy on the Trump campaign. Concurrently, he led congressional oversight of sensitive programs for the IC and U.S. Special Operations Forces and worked to enact legislation to fully fund the multi-billion-dollar budgets supporting intelligence and counterterrorism operations worldwide.
- Kash worked as a National Security Prosecutor at the DOJ under the Obama Administration where he led investigations spanning multiple theaters of conflict and oversaw the successful prosecution of criminals aligned with Al-Qa’ida, ISIS, and other terror groups. This work necessitated Mr. Patel’s presence in locations across the globe, collaborating with host nation governments to successfully prosecute terrorists. He also served as the DOJ Liaison Officer to Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), working with our nation’s most prestigious counterterrorism units (special forces) to conduct collaborative global targeting operations against high value objectives, in almost every theater of war.
- Kash began his career as a Public Defender, trying scores of complex cases in federal and state courts, ranging from murder to narco-trafficking, to complex financial crimes.
“So I think what we should really be thinking about right now is what does this signal in terms of Donald Trump’s intent for the FBI?” McCabe said. “The installation or the nomination, I guess we should say at this point, of Kash Patel as FBI director can only possibly be a plan to disrupt, to dismantle, to distract the FBI, and to possibly use it as a tool for the president’s political agenda.”
JUST IN: Former deputy FBI director Andrew McCabe rushes to CNN to whine about how “dangerous” Trump’s nomination of Kash Patel is, says it’s “terrible” for the “men and women” of the FBI.
Amazing.
“It’s a terrible development for the men and women of the FBI and also for… pic.twitter.com/QbArxg3rd3 [5]
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) December 1, 2024 [6]
McCabe, who signed off on surveillance warrants against Trump campaign officials during the Russia investigation, accused Trump and Patel of planning to politicize the FBI to target political opponents.
Andrew McCabe is a confirmed liar, leaker, & lead figure in the now-debunked FBI investigation into Trump-Russia collusion.
Andrew McCabe is a threat to Democracy & erodes the American people’s trust in the DOJ & FBI.
His inability to take responsibility for his actions is… pic.twitter.com/iSZ1jRjMqk [7]
— Byron Donalds (@ByronDonalds) May 16, 2023 [8]
Just a reminder…
Inspector General Michael Horowtiz testified that the Hillary Clinton campaign colluded with the FBI and DOJ to Spy on Donald Trump.
On record, Andrew McCabe stated if not for the Steele Dossier, paid for by Hillary Clinton, no FISA warrant would have been… pic.twitter.com/OjA0zT22Nk [9]
— Jimmy Falk5 (@JimmyFalk_55) December 1, 2024 [10]
Critics of the FBI, including Patel, have pointed to documented abuses of surveillance powers within the bureau.
A report from the Washington Post revealed that FBI agents used the Section 702 database, intended for foreign intelligence, to monitor January 6 Capitol protesters, crime suspects, and nearly 19,000 donors to a Congressional candidate.
Section 702, managed by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, allows limited access to monitor suspected foreign threats.
However, the court found roughly 300,000 abuses of the database between 2020 and early 2021, including 23,132 queries on American citizens related to January 6.
Former FBI Special Agent Steve Friend also testified that the bureau directed agents to surveil parents at school board meetings, further fueling accusations of politicization.
Patel has promised to bring significant reforms to the FBI if confirmed as its director.
In a recent appearance on the Shawn Ryan Show, Patel criticized the agency’s focus on intelligence operations over law enforcement.
“The biggest problem the FBI has had has come out of its Intel shops. I’d break that component out of it,” Patel said. “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 proposed decentralizing the bureau, relocating thousands of employees from headquarters in Washington, D.C., to field offices across the country. “Go be cops. Go chase down murderers and drug dealers and violent offenders,” he said.
🚨 Trump FBI Director Kash Patel says he will SHUT DOWN the FBI’s office in DC, and send those 7,000 agents to go fight ACTUAL crime across the country
THIS IS THE WAY! 🔥
“Go be cops! Go chase down rapısts, murderers, drug dealers, and violent offenders. What do we need 7,000… pic.twitter.com/1oIGmHu75Q [11]
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) December 1, 2024 [12]
As Patel’s nomination heads to the Senate, it is expected to ignite fierce debate.
Critics like McCabe argue that the move could undermine the FBI’s independence, while Trump supporters view Patel’s nomination as a necessary step to restore public trust in the bureau.
Trump has emphasized that Patel’s leadership will bring accountability and transparency to an organization many conservatives view as increasingly politicized.
Patel has vowed to address these issues head-on, stating that his focus will be on enforcing the law and removing bureaucratic inefficiencies.