Ex-FBI and CIA head urges Senate to reject Trump picks Patel and Gabbard
Share:
William Webster writes in letter to senators that ‘the safety of the American people … depends on it’. William Webster, the only man to head both the FBI and the CIA, has urged the US Senate to reject Kash Patel and Tulsi Gabbard, Donald Trump’s nominees as directors of the bureau and national intelligence, arguing that they are unqualified.
Writing to senators, Webster, who is aged 100 and who was appointed by both Democrat and Republican presidents, called on them to “weigh the critical importance of nonpartisan leadership and experience” and suggested that Patel and Gabbard possessed neither attribute.
“The safety of the American people – and your own families – depends on it,” he wrote, emphasising the importance of Senate confirmation hearings that will scrutinise the two nominees. Wesbster, who was appointed as FBI director by Jimmy Carter in 1978, took aim at Patel’s suitability to head the bureau, implying that he exhibited an over-zealous loyalty to Trump that could undermine the rule of law and set a “dangerous precedent”.
“While Mr Patel’s intelligence and patriotism are commendable, his close political alignment with President Trump raises serious concerns about impartiality and integrity,” he wrote. “His record of executing the president’s directives suggest a loyalty to individuals rather than the rule of law – a dangerous precedent for an agency tasked with impartial enforcement of justice.”.
Patel has publicly vowed to pursue Trump’s enemies if confirmed and has said one of his first acts as director would be to close the FBI’s Washington headquarters and open it as a museum to the “deep state” while dispersing agents across the US.
