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After the Matt Gaetz selection fell through, President-elect Donald J. Trump is showing resilience by appointing Kash Patel as F.B.I. director, despite facing opposition in Washington. This signifies his determination to choose individuals with strong ideological beliefs, conspiracy theories, and even family members for key positions in his administration.
Authored by Peter
Peter Baker is the primary reporter at the White House and has written about the previous five presidents, which includes Donald J. Trump.
Despite facing criticism for his previous appointees, President Trump continues to show defiance by selecting more controversial individuals for his administration. Instead of choosing candidates with stronger credentials and reputations that would be easier to confirm by the Senate, Trump is quickly naming more individuals with extreme ideologies, conspiracy theories, and even family members to key government roles.
One of the most notable actions taken by the individual was to remove the FBI director, Christopher A. Wray, who he had appointed in his previous term, and hand control of the nation’s top investigative agency to Kash Patel. Patel, who refers to himself as an opponent of the alleged "deep state," was viewed as a highly controversial figure and was considered disruptive and potentially harmful by other Trump advisors who worked to prevent him from gaining significant influence during the previous administration.
As people were paying attention to Mr. Patel, Mr. Trump made announcements over the weekend about giving important positions to the fathers of two of his children’s spouses. He said he plans to appoint Charles Kushner, who is Ivanka Trump’s husband Jared Kushner’s father and was pardoned by Mr. Trump in his previous term after being convicted of a crime, as the ambassador to France. Additionally, he selected Massad Boulos, who is Tiffany Trump’s husband Michael Boulos’ father, to be his senior adviser on Arab and Middle Eastern matters in the White House.
The consistent effort to make unconventional appointments shows how committed President Trump is to surrounding himself with loyal supporters who will help him carry out his plans, including seeking revenge against those he sees as enemies. President Trump has claimed that President Biden is using government agencies like the Justice Department and FBI to target him, even though there is no proof of President Biden’s involvement in recent legal cases.
The controversial choices made by Mr. Trump are challenging Senate Republicans to show their willingness to oppose nominees they believe are unfit for the position. This comes after they played a role in blocking former Representative Matt Gaetz’s nomination as attorney general.
According to Gregg Nunziata, a former chief nominations counsel for Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans, the president is intentionally choosing nominees who may lack traditional qualifications but exhibit strong personal loyalty and a willingness to confront others. This is seen as a deliberate attempt to see if the Senate will fulfill its role as a check on the president.
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