The FBI Gains Trump Fanatic Instead of Trump Man
Published in Der Standard
(Austria) on 13 December 2024
by Bianca Blei (link to original)
(Austria) on 13 December 2024
by Bianca Blei (link to original)
Translated from
by Kirsty Low.
Edited by Laurence Bouvard.
By nominating Kash Patel as FBI direcgtor, Donald Trump is ensuring he will have influence over the powerful federal agency during his second term in office.
The resignation of FBI Director Christopher A. Wray likely means the end of an era — not only the era of Wray himself, but also that of the FBI director as an apolitical post. Following the death of J. Edgar Hoover, Congress determined that no one should sit in the director's chair at the bureau for as long as Hoover did, i.e., for more than 40 years.
Hoover was considered the most powerful man in the U.S., and he abused this power. The head of the FBI now serves a maximum term of 10 years. This measure also aims to protect the position from the influence of U.S. presidents. In the past, newly elected presidents have let the existing FBI directors keep their jobs. Joe Biden, for example, did not fire Trump's man, Wray.
(Too) Powerful
Donald Trump, however, has little regard for tradition; he didn't even acknowledge his own election defeat in 2020 and signaled soon after he won this time that Wray was not loyal enough to him. Now Trump fanatic Kash Patel has been named to take up the post, and he wants to (re)shape the agency entirely according to his president's wishes. Anyone who hoped that the MAGA supporter might fail miserably during Senate confirmation may be disappointed. He received a warm welcome on his first visit to the Capitol.
And so, more than 50 years after Hoover's death, a powerful man will once again have (too) much influence over the FBI. However, this time it is not the head of the bureau, but the man in the White House: Trump.
The resignation of FBI Director Christopher A. Wray likely means the end of an era — not only the era of Wray himself, but also that of the FBI director as an apolitical post. Following the death of J. Edgar Hoover, Congress determined that no one should sit in the director's chair at the bureau for as long as Hoover did, i.e., for more than 40 years.
Hoover was considered the most powerful man in the U.S., and he abused this power. The head of the FBI now serves a maximum term of 10 years. This measure also aims to protect the position from the influence of U.S. presidents. In the past, newly elected presidents have let the existing FBI directors keep their jobs. Joe Biden, for example, did not fire Trump's man, Wray.
(Too) Powerful
Donald Trump, however, has little regard for tradition; he didn't even acknowledge his own election defeat in 2020 and signaled soon after he won this time that Wray was not loyal enough to him. Now Trump fanatic Kash Patel has been named to take up the post, and he wants to (re)shape the agency entirely according to his president's wishes. Anyone who hoped that the MAGA supporter might fail miserably during Senate confirmation may be disappointed. He received a warm welcome on his first visit to the Capitol.
And so, more than 50 years after Hoover's death, a powerful man will once again have (too) much influence over the FBI. However, this time it is not the head of the bureau, but the man in the White House: Trump.
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