The only man to run the FBI and CIA has urged caution among senators who may vote for former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence and Kash Patel to lead the FBI, according to a letter sent to senators this week.
“I am very concerned about the potential nominations of Mr. Kash Patel to lead the FBI and the inclusion of former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard in intelligence roles as DNI,” William Webster, who led the FBI during the Carter and Reagan administrations and then the CIA. he said this in a letter to senators on Thursday.
In this Dec. 18, 2014, file photo, Ronald Reagan’s former FBI Director and Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) Judge William Webster is interviewed for a documentary about CIA directors.
David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images, FILE
Webster wrote that Patel’s loyalty to Trump could cause problems.
“Statements like ‘it’s my mind’ and his history of following the president’s orders suggest a loyalty to individuals rather than the rule of law — a dangerous precedent for an agency charged with impartial enforcement of justice,” Webster said. 101 in March.
Kash Patel, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for FBI director, speaks to reporters with U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on December 12, 2024.
Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters
He said that during his tenure at the FBI, he contacted the president only twice: once when President Jimmy Carter asked him to investigate a problem, and once when President Ronald Reagan had a question about Nancy Reagan’s security.
Webster added that Gabbard’s “profound lack of intelligence experience and the enormous task of overseeing 18 different intelligence agencies further highlights the need for seasoned leadership.”
“History has shown us the dangers of compromising this independence. When the leaders of these institutions align too closely with political figures, public trust is eroded and our nation’s security is compromised,” he wrote. “Every president deserves appointments of trust, but the selection process must prioritize competence and independence to maintain the rule of law.”
The letter was reported by Politiko for the first time.
Webster endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president in 2024 and Joe Biden for president in 2020.
The Trump transition team defended Patel and Gabbard on Fox News.
“Kash Patel is loyal to the Constitution. He has worked under Presidents Obama and Trump in key national security roles,” said Alex Pfeiffer, a spokesman for Trump’s transition team.
President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Director of National Intelligence, former U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, leaves a meeting with Senator John Cornyn in the Hart Senate Office Building on December 18, 2024, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.
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Trump’s transition official Alexa Henning also defended Gabbard.
“Gabbard is an active member of Lt. Col the army and has been in the military and Congress for over two decades. As someone who has consumed intelligence at the highest levels, including during wartime, he recognizes the importance of working with allies to ensure close coordination to keep the American people safe,” he told Fox News.
