All three selections must be confirmed by a majority vote in the US Senate.
Patel is a Trump supporter who shares the president-elect’s suspicions about government agencies.
“Cash is a brilliant lawyer, investigator and America First fighter who has dedicated his career to exposing corruption, protecting justice and protecting the American people,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, his social media platform, adding that Patel was ” stand up for truth, accountability and the constitution.”
His past proposals have included “dramatic” limits on the FBI’s powers. In his memoir, Government Gangsters, Patel called for an end to what he called “state tyranny” at the FBI by firing “the highest ranks.”
Patel will replace current FBI Director Christopher Wray, who was appointed by Trump in 2017 to a 10-year term.
But Wray fell out of favor with the president-elect when the FBI aided a federal investigation into Trump’s handling of classified documents. a case that has since been dropped.
In a statement following Trump’s announcement, the FBI said: “Every day, FBI agents continue to work to protect Americans from an increasing number of threats.
“Director Ray’s focus remains on the men and women of the FBI, the people we do work with and the people we do work for.”
The son of Indian immigrants, Patel is a former attorney and federal prosecutor who caught Trump’s attention after becoming a senior adviser on the House Intelligence Committee in 2017.
He was hired by Trump as a national security assistant in 2019, and a year later was named chief of staff to the Pentagon chief.
In addition to his memoir 2023, he has published two children’s books in support of Trump.
One title, The Plot Against the King, features a villain, Hilary Quinton, trying to overthrow King Donald, aided by a wizard named Kash, the Great Opener.
Another villain is called Comey’s Keeper — a thinly veiled reference to former FBI Director James Comey — and his “spy slugs,” according to the book’s announcement.
Patel has often railed against the so-called “deep state,” which some Americans see as a bureaucratic machine without elections that secretly rules the country for sinister purposes.
Patel also called out the media, which he called “the most powerful enemy the United States has ever seen.”
He also serves on the board of directors of Trump Media and Technology Group, which owns the future president’s social media platform, Truth Social.
Patel reportedly had a consulting contract with the company that paid him at least $120,000 a year.
