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Trump’s decision to tap Kash Patel for FBI director sends shockwaves through Washington
Washington — President-elect Donald Trump’s announcement Saturday that he intends to nominate Kash Patel as FBI director sent shockwaves through Washington over the weekend, prompting outrage from Democrats and even some former Trump officials, while some loyalists insisted they believed Patel would be confirmed by the Senate.
Patel, a 44-year-old who served in intelligence and defense roles in Trump’s first term, is a controversial figure even within Trump’s world, and a former U.S. official described him as “by far the most dangerous pick” Trump has made.
“There is no ‘there’ to him,” the official told CBS News. “He’ll literally do anything.”
John Bolton, who served as national security adviser in Trump’s first term and was Patel’s boss, compared the nomination to Joseph Stalin’s secret police chief.
“Fortunately, the FBI is not” Stalin’s secret police, Bolton said. “The Senate should reject this nomination 100-0.”
In addition to objections about Patel at the helm of the FBI, current FBI director Christopher Wray’s 10-year term is not due to end until 2027. For Patel to become FBI director, Wray would have to resign or be fired by Trump and Patel would need to be confirmed by the Senate. Republicans are set to hold a 53-47 majority come January, giving incoming Majority Leader John Thune only a few votes to lose.
Trump called Patel “a brilliant lawyer, investigator, and ‘America First’ fighter who has spent his career exposing corruption, defending Justice, and protecting the American People” in a post on social media Saturday. And some of his supporters echoed the sentiment, like Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, who said Patel is a “very strong nominee” whom he thinks will be approved by the Senate.
“I got to say, all of the weeping and gnashing of teeth, all of the people pulling their hair out, are exactly the people who are dismayed about having a real reformer come into the FBI and clean out the corrupted partisans who sadly have burrowed into senior career positions at the FBI,” Cruz said Sunday on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.”
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Sen. Bill Hagerty, a Tennessee Republican, said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he “encouraged President Trump to bring Kash Patel to the table,” saying Patel “represents the type of change that we need to see in the FBI.”
Other Republicans, like Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota, took a more cautious approach. Rounds expressed support for Wray, who was nominated by Trump in his first term in 2017.
“I think the president picked a very good man to be the director of the FBI when he did that in his first term,” Rounds said on ABC’s “This Week.” “I don’t have any complaints about the way that he’s done his job right now.”
Meanwhile, Democrats were highly critical of the pick. Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut said on NBC that he will vote no, expressing concern that Patel “is going to only care about protecting Republicans.” And Murphy pledged to help his colleagues and the American public “understand what’s happening here.”
“Donald Trump told the American public during the campaign that he was going to turn the Department of Justice into a political operation, an arm of the White House, to destroy his political opponents,” Murphy said. “Kash Patel’s only qualification is because he agrees with Donald Trump that the Department of Justice should serve to punish, lock up, and intimidate Donald Trump’s political opponents. And so the cost to the American public is pretty simple”
In recent weeks, Trump’s most controversial selections for top posts in his administration have faced intense scrutiny as they prepare for the Senate confirmation process. And one pick, former Rep. Matt Gaetz, already withdrew his name from consideration facing headwinds in the Senate.
Sen. Dick Durbin, the current majority whip in the upper chamber, urged his Senate colleagues in a statement to reject Trump’s pick of Patel, noting that “we already have a FBI director” and accusing the president-elect of wanting to “replace his own appointee with an unqualified loyalist.”
“The Senate should reject this unprecedented effort to weaponize the FBI for the campaign of retribution that Donald Trump has promised,” Durbin said.
contributed to this report.
CBS News
“Wicked” star Cynthia Erivo on building trust with Ariana Grande to bring Elphaba and Glinda to life
Cynthia Erivo is earning widespread acclaim for her portrayal of Elphaba in the highly anticipated film adaptation of “Wicked.” The movie has already set records, grossing $262 million domestically and becoming one of the most successful Broadway adaptations.
In an interview on “CBS Mornings,“ Erivo opened up about how her friendship with singer and co-star Ariana Grande, who plays Glinda, became such an important part of their on-screen chemistry. She revealed that despite how close they are now, they didn’t know each other before filming.
“She came to my house, we sat, we chatted and talked,” Erivo said. “And we just talked about everything and nothing. We were there for ages, and it was very, very easy, so part of us kind of knew, ‘Oh, this might, this might work. We’ll be okay, and I think we’ll be able to get along with each other, and we’ll find it.'”
Their connection deepened during a dinner hosted by director Jon M. Chu.
“Stephen Schwartz played piano, and we sang ‘For Good’ together for the first time,” Erivo recalled. “Our voices are very different but somehow, they made sense together.”
To ensure their collaboration stayed strong, Erivo and Grande made a pact early and promised to take care of each other, the Tony Award winner said.
“Before we started shooting both of us had a conversation about making sure that we would take care of each other and make the space that we needed for each other, and take, you know, give each other what we needed, be generous with each other in this thing, because we knew it was a big undertaking,” she said. “We knew we had a big responsibility, but we knew neither of us could really do that alone.”
On fans singing along to the movie in theaters, Erivo was enthusiastic.
“I’m not ever going to be the person that says, ‘Don’t sing.’ I think there’s something really beautiful about people feeling comfortable enough to sing along,” she said.
On Christmas Day, a sing-a-long version of Wicked will be released in theaters, according to Erivo.
The actress said that playing Elphaba – who goes on to become the Wicked Witch of the West in “The Wizard of Oz” – required her to embrace her vulnerability.
“It means people can see the human being behind the character a little bit more,” she shared. “That meant I had to allow myself to do that a little bit, which was terrifying, but I knew it would be meaningful. That was really the only way to play this role.”
As Erivo reflected on her journey with “Wicked”, she said she remains proud of the bravery it took to bring authenticity to Elphaba.
“You have to put yourself on the line a little bit… This is scary, but it’s the only way to play her is to reveal a bit more of me,” she said.
Pop icon Elton John said on Sunday that he struggled to see his new musical, “The Devil Wears Prada” after losing his eyesight because of an eye infection.
John gave audience members an update on his condition at the conclusion of the musical’s opening night at London’s Dominion Theatre, which was also a charity gala for the Elton John AIDS foundation.
“I haven’t been able to come to many of the previews because, as you know, I’ve lost my eyesight so, it’s hard for me to see it,” he said. “But I love to hear it and it quite sounded good tonight.”
Dave Benett
John, 77, revealed in September that he had been dealing with a “severe eye infection” that left him with “only limited vision in one eye.” He said it was healing, but it “will take some time before sight returns to the impacted eye.”
Last week, he told “Good Morning America” that there’s “hope and encouragement” that he will recover, but admits he can’t even see a lyric at the studio.
“I can’t see anything, I can’t read anything, I can’t watch anything,” John said.
John retired from touring in 2023, but wrote the score for “The Devil Wears Prada,” a stage musical based on the 2006 movie (which itself was based on the 2003 novel by Lauren Weisberger) about a young journalist navigating the demands of a fashion magazine and its fearsome editor. In addition to the show, he has a documentary, “Elton John: Never Too Late” about him coming out on Dec. 13.
The pop legend also achieved EGOT status earlier this year after winning an Emmy for outstanding variety special (live) for his show “Elton John Live: Farewell From Dodger Stadium.”
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Man missing since he left Duluth home to go ice skating on bay
“Wicked” star Cynthia Erivo on building trust with Ariana Grande to bring Elphaba and Glinda to life
Elton John says he lost his eyesight following severe eye infection
Man missing since he left Duluth home to go ice skating on bay
“Wicked” star Cynthia Erivo on building trust with Ariana Grande to bring Elphaba and Glinda to life