Kash Patel Likely To Head FBI In New Trump Administration After Christopher Wray Prepares For Possibility Of Removal

Washington D.C. [US]: Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon has stated that President-elect Donald Trump's adviser Kash Patel will likely take over as the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) after January 20, citing possible scenarios in which present chief Christopher Wray may resign or be asked to leave.

Bannon made this statement a day after NBC News reported that Wray is preparing for such a possibility. In April, he told the news network that he was "enjoying doing this job" and expressed his intention to serve out his 10-year term.

Trump appointed Wray as the FBI director in 2017, but much has changed in the seven years since, including Trump's criticism of his appointee. This raises the likelihood that Wray's days are numbered and he will either resign or be fired.

Patel, who reportedly lost out to ultra-conservative Texas senator John Ratcliffe in the race to become the director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), is a former National Security Council staffer. He is the son of Indian immigrants and author of a book about the so-called "deep state."

In a statement reported by the Associated Press, Patel has called for a "comprehensive housecleaning" of the Justice Department and the FBI in his memoir Government Gangsters.

Replacing Wray before the end of his 10-year term — a tenure intended to keep the FBI free from presidential politics — will be a departure from the norm. Such a move would give Trump a chance to reshape the FBI's leadership in his own image at a time when he is under pressure to pursue his political adversaries.

Sources close to Wray say that he continues to oversee the bureau's day-to-day operations and is planning with his team to lead the workforce into the next year.

Wray was nominated for the position in June 2017, replacing James Comey, who was fired by Trump amid an investigation into ties between Russia and Trump's 2016 campaign. He was subsequently appointed by Trump after being recommended by Chris Christie after representing him in an investigation into the closing of the George Washington Bridge.

Washington D.C. sees significant developments on the US political front ahead of January 20, marking a transition under Trump for another key American institution: the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).