Jake Sullivan: FBI should remain 'an independent institution insulated from politics'
Source: Politico
12/01/2024 11:23 AM EST
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Sunday that the FBI should remain “an independent institution insulated from politics” in the wake of Donald Trump picking Kash Patel as FBI director before Christopher Wray’s term is finished. “The current FBI director, Chris Wray, was actually appointed by Donald Trump. Joe Biden didn’t fire him,” Sullivan said in an interview with host Kristen Welker on NBC’s “Meet the Press.
“He relied upon him to execute his responsibilities as the director of the FBI, and allowed him to serve out the fullness of his term over the course of the Biden administration.” He added: “That’s how we approach things, and we would like to ensure that the FBI remains an independent institution insulated from politics.”
Wray, who Trump picked as FBI director during his first administration, is supposed to hold his 10 year-term until 2027. But on Saturday night, the president-elect announced he would tap Patel as FBI Director to replace Wray, who would either have to resign or be fired by Trump, as was the case with his predecessor, James Comey.
Patel, a staunch Trump loyalist, previously served as chief of staff for the Defense secretary in the first Trump administration. His name was floated as a potential deputy director of the FBI during the first Trump administration — something then-Attorney General Bill Barr said would occur “over my dead body.”
Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2024/12/01/jake-sullivan-fbi-kash-patel-00192051
= new reply since forum marked as read
