Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.
Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in
The President-elect nominated one of his biggest allies to the top law enforcement post
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Donald Trump‘s nomination of MAGA loyalist Kash Patel as FBI director on Saturday night sparked strong reactions from both his supporters and critics.
“I am proud to announce that Kashyap “Kash” Patel will serve as the next Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Kash is a brilliant lawyer, investigator, and “America First” fighter who has spent his career exposing corruption, defending Justice, and protecting the American People,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Patel defended Trump during his first administration amid an FBI investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
The pick was met with enthusiasm from Republicans, including Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., Trump’s pick for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, who called Patel an “America First fighter.”
Critics, however, expressed concern over the nomination.
The Atlantic staff writer Tom Nichols reacted to the news on MSNBC, saying the pick is “incredibly dangerous” and that Trump is “creating an administration of people who really don’t care about the interests of the United States.”
For Patel to steer the agency, current FBI Director Christopher Wray would need to resign or be fired. Trump appointed him in 2017 and he has three years left in his 10-year term.
Critics expressed concern over Trump’s pick of Kash Patel to lead the FBI.
In reaction to the news, the Atlantic staff writer Tom Nichols said he “believes in nothing except serving” President-elect Donald Trump and described the nomination as “as dangerous as it gets.”
“I suppose if we still have the ability to be shocked, it’s shocking,” Nichols said. “But I think this is something … many of us saw it coming and, you know, shouldn’t be that surprising. But it’s an incredibly dangerous development.”
Far-left commentator Mehdi Hasan accused Patel of being a “deeply strange and alarming and sycophantic figure.”
MSNBC’s Morning Joe previously called Patel the “personification of MAGA rage about the Justice Department and the FBI.”
Andrew McCabe, who briefly served as acting FBI director under Trump in 2017 before being fired for allegedly leaking to the media and a “lack of candor,” called the nomination “a plan to disrupt, to dismantle, to distract the FBI.”
“It’s a terrible development for the men and women of the FBI and also for the nation that depends on a highly functioning, professional, independent Federal Bureau of Investigation,” McCabe said on CNN. “The fact that Kash Patel is profoundly unqualified for this job is not even, like, a matter for debate.”
JUST IN: Former deputy FBI director Andrew McCabe rushes to CNN to whine about how “dangerous” Trump’s nomination of Kash Patel is, says it’s “terrible” for the “men and women” of the FBI.
Amazing.
“It’s a terrible development for the men and women of the FBI and also for… pic.twitter.com/QbArxg3rd3
Trump’s nomination of Kash Patel as FBI director was met with enthusiasm and instant praise from Republicans.
Patel, longtime Trump loyalist, is a critic of government corruption and has blasted the bureau in the past, saying he would “shut down the FBI Hoover Building on day one and reopen the next day as a museum of the deep state.”
Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., Trump’s pick for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, called Patel an “America First fighter.”
Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, wrote: “Kash was INSTRUMENTAL in President Trump’s first term and will be EVEN GREATER in his second! Time to clean this place up, and Kash is the man to do it!!! MAGA!”
Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur turned political adviser, announced on X he intends to push Donald Trump’s administration to get rid of the Consumer of Financial Protection Bureau, a financial watchdog agency.
The noteworthy announcement, made in a nine-word response to a clip from The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, is part of Musk’s new role co-leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) – the committee advising Trump on how to cut down on government spending.
Ariana Baio has more:
Musk used a clip from ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ to make the announcement
Pete Hegseth, the man tapped by Donald Trump to become Defense Secretary, has come under fire from Democrats and other liberal pundits after he was branded as an “abuser of women” by his own mother.
A report from The New York Times featured a 2018 email to the former Fox News anchor from Penelope Hegseth, where she said she had “no respect” for her son and that he needed “take an honest look at yourself.”
Read more here:
In a 2018 email to the former Fox News anchor, his mother Penelope Hegseth said she had ‘no respect’ for her son
Having won the election and sweeping to power, Republicans are planning an ambitious 100-day agenda with President-elect Donald Trump in the White House and GOP lawmakers in a congressional majority to accomplish their policy goals.
Read more here:
In preparation for Trump’s return, Republicans in Congress have been meeting privately for months and with the president-elect to go over proposals to extend and enhance tax breaks
President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday threatened 100 percent tariffs against a bloc of nine nations if they act to undermine the U.S. dollar.
His threat was directed at countries in the so-called BRIC alliance, which consists of Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates.
Read more:
While the U.S. dollar is by far the most-used currency in global business, members of the alliance say they are fed up with America’s dominance of the global financial system
Joe Rogan has claimed that a “media psy-op” is responsible for creating a negative image of Donald Trump that has “distorted” people’s perceptions of the president-elect.
The MMA commentator and popular podcast host noted an apparent shift in media treatment of the President-elect dating to a time before his first presidential term.
Read more here:
The MMA commentator and popular podcast host noted an apparent shift in media treatment of the President-elect dating to a time before his first presidential term
Harris ended her unsuccessful 2024 campaign with $20m in debt, according to reports
Curb Your Enthusiasm star Cheryl Hines showed off her self-care and “MAHA” products in front of her showering husband, in a new cringeworthy video posted to Instagram.
The 59-year-old actor and co-owner of the self-care brand Hines + Young, which she founded with her daughter Catherine Young, was filming a video to promote the company’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals at the same time Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was taking a shower.
Inga Parkel has more:
‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ star was filming a video to promote Hines + Young’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in