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Donald J. Trump is showing strong determination in the face of opposition in Washington by appointing Kash Patel as the new F.B.I. director. This move suggests that he is unafraid to appoint individuals with strong beliefs, conspiracy theories, and even family members to key positions in his administration.
Written by Peter Baker
Peter Baker is the main reporter who covers news at the White House, and he has written about the last five presidents, including Donald J. Trump.
Despite facing criticism for his previous appointees, President Trump continues to be defiant and unapologetic as he selects members for his new administration. Instead of opting for candidates with stronger credentials and reputations that would have an easier time being approved by the Senate, Trump is quickly appointing individuals with strong ideological beliefs, conspiracy theories, and even family members to key government roles.
One significant move he made was removing the FBI director, Christopher A. Wray, whom he had appointed himself in his first term, and handing control of the top investigative agency to Kash Patel. Patel, who describes himself as a fighter against the alleged "deep state," was viewed as a troublemaker and potentially harmful by other Trump advisors who worked to prevent him from gaining influence during the previous administration.
While Mr. Patel received a lot of attention, Mr. Trump also made announcements over the weekend regarding the fathers-in-law of two of his children. He revealed plans to nominate Charles Kushner, who is the father of Ivanka Trump’s husband Jared Kushner and was pardoned by Mr. Trump in his previous term, as the ambassador to France. Additionally, he selected Massad Boulos, who is the father of Tiffany Trump’s husband Michael Boulos, to serve as his White House senior adviser on Arab and Middle Eastern matters.
Mr. Trump’s commitment to making non-traditional appointments shows how strong his desire is to have loyal individuals around him who will support his plans, such as seeking revenge against those he sees as opponents. Mr. Trump has claimed that President Biden has directed the Justice Department and F.B.I. to target him, despite no proof that Mr. Biden has been involved in recent investigations.
The controversial nominations made by Mr. Trump are challenging Senate Republicans to see if they will oppose other nominees they believe are not qualified, especially after they played a role in blocking former Representative Matt Gaetz from being appointed as attorney general.
According to Gregg Nunziata, a former chief nominations counsel for Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans, he believes that the President is intentionally choosing nominees who may lack traditional qualifications but are loyal and eager for confrontation. This is seen as a way to test the Senate’s ability and willingness to fulfill its constitutional duty of overseeing the President’s appointments.
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