Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt posted a photo of President Donald Trump and FBI Director Kash Patel standing side by side giving a thumbs up.
President Trump grants presidential pardon to Mr. Gobble and Mr. Waddle
President Donald Trump granted the traditional presidential turkey pardon to two birds, Gobble and Waddle.
The Trump administration has denied a report in MS NOW that the president is considering firing FBI Director Kash Patel following recent scrutiny of the agency’s use of resources.
White House press secretary Caroline Levitt said in a social media post that when she read the article’s headline to Trump in the Oval Office during a meeting with Patel, the president responded, “What? That’s a complete lie. Come on, Kash, let’s take a picture to show them what a great job you’re doing!”
Mr. Levitt posted a photo of Mr. Trump and Mr. Patel standing next to each other giving a thumbs up. Later, as he headed to Florida on Air Force One, Trump was asked if he was considering replacing Patel, to which he replied, “No.”
MS NOW, citing three anonymous sources, reported that President Trump and those around him are concerned about reports about Patel. An MS NOW spokesperson said in a statement after Levitt’s social media post that the news organization “stands by its reporting.”
The New York Times reported that the department’s SWAT team provided security for Patel’s girlfriend at the National Rifle Association convention in Atlanta, and that Patel was using government planes for recreational travel.
Patel was at the White House on Nov. 25 for the annual pre-Thanksgiving presidential turkey pardon. President Trump acknowledged that he was “very busy doing a great job.”
Patel, a former Justice Department lawyer and Congressional staffer, was controversially selected to lead the FBI. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said during Patel’s confirmation hearing that Patel does not have the “experience, temperament or judgment” to lead the agency.
Patel has been at the forefront of President Trump’s aggressive use of federal law enforcement, and his actions have disrupted the agency. A federal lawsuit filed on September 10 alleges that Patel illegally fired top FBI officials at the direction of the Trump administration as part of a campaign to turn the nation’s top law enforcement agency into the political arm of the White House.
This story has been updated to add new information.
Contributors: Josh Meyer, Sarah D. Wire, Aysha Bagchi
