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Donald J. Trump is not backing down after the failure of his choice of Matt Gaetz. He has chosen Kash Patel to be the new F.B.I. director, showing that he is not deterred by opposition in Washington as he fills positions with individuals who share his beliefs, promote conspiracy theories, and even family members.
Authored by Peter
Peter Baker is a journalist who specializes in covering the White House and has reported on the activities of the last five presidents, one of whom is Donald J. Trump.
Despite facing criticism for his current appointees, President Trump is choosing to continue with his defiant approach in selecting his new administration. Instead of opting for candidates with better qualifications and reputations that would likely have an easier time getting confirmed by the Senate, Trump is quickly appointing individuals with strong ideological beliefs, conspiracy theories, and even some family members to key government roles.
One of the most notable actions he took was to remove the F.B.I. director, Christopher A. Wray, who he had chosen himself during his first term, and instead put Kash Patel in charge. Patel, who refers to himself as a fighter against the alleged "deep state," was perceived as a troublemaker and potentially harmful by other Trump advisors who worked to prevent him from gaining influence during the previous administration.
As everyone’s attention was on Mr. Patel, Mr. Trump made some significant appointments over the weekend. He revealed that he planned to appoint Charles Kushner, who is the father of Ivanka Trump’s husband Jared Kushner and had been pardoned by Mr. Trump in the past, as the ambassador to France. Additionally, he selected Massad Boulos, who is Tiffany Trump’s father-in-law, to serve as his White House senior adviser for Arab and Middle Eastern matters.
Mr. Trump’s continued focus on making non-traditional appointments shows his strong commitment to surrounding himself with loyal supporters who will help him implement his plans, which may include seeking revenge against those he sees as adversaries. Despite Mr. Trump’s claims that President Biden has used the Justice Department and F.B.I. against him, there is no proof that Mr. Biden was involved in these cases in recent years.
The controversial nominations made by Mr. Trump are challenging Senate Republicans to see if they are willing to oppose other nominees they believe are unfit, especially after successfully thwarting former Representative Matt Gaetz’s nomination for attorney general.
Gregg Nunziata, a former chief nominations counsel for Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans, commented that the president is deliberately choosing nominees who are more focused on personal loyalty and confrontation rather than traditional qualifications. This is seen as a way to test the Senate’s ability and willingness to fulfill its constitutional role as a check on the president.
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