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The F.B.I.’s Kash Conundrum

With Trump bent on revenge and having appointed the ideal henchman to carry it out, F.B.I. honchos are dusting off their résumés while field officers cross their fingers. Two bureau veterans—Frank Figliuzzi and Andrew Weissmann—explain how worried we should really be.

Kash Patel
It’s Patel who’s publicly vowed to use the most powerful law enforcement office in the country, in tandem with a Trumpified Justice Department, to exact vengeance against Trump’s perceived enemies in and out of government. Photo: Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty Images
John Heilemann
December 5, 2024

Donald Trump’s move to place Kash Patel in charge of the F.B.I. has sent shockwaves through official Washington—especially among current and former members of the federal law enforcement and intelligence communities. The pick was fully in keeping with Trump’s middle-finger approach to stocking his cabinet, a philosophy that also brought us the doomed nomination of Matt Gaetz for attorney general, the imperiled appointment of Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon, and the cockamamie but somehow less controversial selection of R.F.K. Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard to run the country’s health and intelligence agencies, respectively.