Who would Trump FBI nominee Kash Patel target? He compiled a lengthy list

Kash Patel has a lengthy list of targets that he could go after if he is confirmed to be President-elect Donald Trump’s FBI director.
Trump tapped Patel, a longtime ally with ambitious plans to reform federal government, to lead the nation’s top law enforcement agency on Saturday. The choice—like many of Trump’s cabinet picks—has been met with widespread scrutiny from both sides of the aisle.
Trump has longtime threatened to go after political opponents and critics if he is elected to a second term. It appears that Patel already has a lengthy list of people—ranging from former Trump officials to current Biden officials—that he has labeled as members of the “deep state.”
Tim Miller, host of “The Bulwark Podcast” and MSNBC analyst, posted excerpts from Patel’s book, “Government Gangsters,” that included the list of 60 people that could be targeted.
The list includes President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Hillary Clinton, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, FBI Director Christopher Wray and many more. It also includes many former Trump insiders, including Alyssa Farah Griffin, John Bolton and Bill Barr, among others.
Patel also noted in the book that the list does not include “other corrupt actors of the first order such as Congressmen Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell, members of Fusion GPS or Perkins Coie, Christopher Steele, Paul Ryan, the entire fake news mafia, press corps, etc.”
Tommy Vietor, a former staffer to former President Barack Obama, said that Patel’s goal is to target Trump’s political enemies.
Trump tapped Patel over the weekend to lead the bureau, which comes as some Senate Republicans have raised concerns about Trump’s other administration picks.
Patel “played a pivotal role in uncovering the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, standing as an advocate for truth, accountability, and the Constitution,” Trump wrote Saturday night in a social media post.
The announcement means current FBI director Christopher Wray must either resign or be fired after Trump takes office on Jan. 20. Wray had previously been named by Trump and began the 10-year term — a length meant to insulate the agency from the political influence of changing administrations — in 2017, after Trump fired his predecessor, James Comey.
The decision sets up what’s likely to be an explosive confirmation battle in the Senate not long after Trump’s first pick to lead the Justice Department, Matt Gaetz, withdrew his nomination amid intense scrutiny over sex trafficking allegations. Patel is a lesser-known figure, but his nomination was still expected to cause shockwaves. He’s embraced Trump’s rhetoric about a “deep state,” called for a “comprehensive housecleaning” of government workers who are disloyal to Trump and has referred to journalists as traitors, promising to try to prosecute some reporters.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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