FBI Director Kash Patel reportedly plans to relocate hundreds of FBI staff outside of the nation’s capital to field offices around the country.
Patel was sworn in to his role on Friday after being confirmed by the U.S. Senate earlier this week. In one of his first moves as head of the agency, Patel wants to relocate 1,500 FBI staff outside of Washington, D.C., including moving 500 staff to Huntsville, Alabama, according to the Associated Press.
Patel was confirmed narrowly in a 51-49 vote in the Senate. At Patel’s swearing-in ceremony, President Donald Trump said he nominated Patel in large part because “of the respect the [FBI] agents had for him.”
“I think he’ll go down as the best ever at that position,” Trump said.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: “One of the reasons I loved Kash and wanted to put him in was the respect the agents had for him. I think he’ll go down as the best ever at that position.” pic.twitter.com/pLqv51pbGi
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) February 21, 2025
After his swearing-in, Patel began his first remarks as FBI director thanking the president.
“What a ride we have been on. What a courageous warrior and leader he has been, and the faith and trust he has put in me to lead the FBI is the greatest honor I will ever have in my life,” Patel said.
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WATCH: Kash Patel’s full remarks after being sworn in as FBI Director:
“Anyone who thinks the American Dream is dead, look right here. You’re talking to a first-generation Indian kid who is about to lead the law enforcement community in the greatest nation on God’s Earth.” pic.twitter.com/PQrCkme9az
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) February 21, 2025
Patel is taking the helm of an agency that has been battered by scandal and controversies in recent years, including the Russian collusion conspiracy and questions over the bureau’s role in the January 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
The newly installed FBI director said his mission at the agency will be to “let good cops be cops — and rebuild trust in the FBI,” he told Fox News.
During his confirmation process, Patel presented himself as a reformer who would salvage the FBI’s diminished reputation with the American public. Republicans have been especially critical of the agency in recent months, though the FBI has taken criticism from Democrats, too, in the past decade over its handling of the 2016 presidential election and its investigation into then-candidate Hilary Clinton’s handling of classified information.
On Friday, Patel promised “accountability” for the agency, but also a renewed focus on the FBI’s traditional law enforcement role.
“There will be accountability within the FBI and outside of the FBI, and we will do it through rigorous constitutional oversight starting this weekend,” Patel said. “Anyone who wishes to do harm to our way of life and our citizens here or abroad will face the full wrath of the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.”
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