A Fox News host pushed back on bipartisan criticism of Kash Patel’s qualifications to lead the Federal Bureau of Investigations by touting Donald Trump’s nominee’s meager resume, further highlighting his lack of experience.
Trump tapped Patel to lead the FBI on Saturday saying that he will “bring back Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity to the FBI.”
But, Patel is facing questions over his level of experience including from former attorney general in Trump’s first term, Bill Barr and former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe.
“Patel had virtually no experience that would qualify him to serve at the highest level of the world’s preeminent law enforcement agency,” Barr wrote in his memoir in 2022.
“The fact that Kash Patel is profoundly unqualified for this job is not even like a matter for debate,” McCabe told CNN in a clip highlighted by Mediate. “I think what we should really be thinking about right now is what does this signal in terms of Donald Trump’s intent for the FBI. The installation or the nomination….. of Kash Patel, the FBI director, can only possibly be a plan to disrupt, to dismantle, to distract the FBI, and to possibly use it as a tool for the president’s political agenda.”
On Sunday, Fox & Friends Weekend co-hosts defended Patel and his qualifications to lead the nation’s premier law enforcement agency.
They touted Patel’s sparse resume to defend his credentials, only listing two points: “Served as senior director for counterterrorism at National Security Council” and “Served as chief of staff for acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller, from 2020-2021.”
“They’re trying to say he’s not qualified, the guy’s qualifications are more than enough to run this agency,” co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy said.
“If Andrew McCabe is unhappy with this appointment, Americans should feel pretty good about it!” she added.
Patel is a staunch Trump loyalist who has called for stripping the FBI of its intelligence-gathering role, purging its ranks of any employee who refuses to support Trump’s agenda, railed against the so-called ‘deep state’ and vowed to punish Trump enemies including journalists.
