House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) threw his support behind Kash Patel, President-elect Trump’s nominee to head the FBI, calling him an “America First patriot.”
In a post on X replying to the announcement, Johnson congratulated Patel on his nomination.
“Kash Patel has extensive experience in national security and intelligence,” he wrote. “He is an America First patriot who will bring much-needed change and transparency to the FBI.”
Johnson will not get a vote in Patel’s nomination.
Johnson has been vocal in his support for Trump’s Cabinet picks, especially since the uptick in threats against his nominees and appointees.
“This is dangerous and unhinged. It is not who we are in America,” he said in a post on X of the threats.
The incoming president announced Patel’s nomination on Saturday, saying Patel has “spent his career exposing corruption, defending Justice, and protecting the American People.”
Patel’s complicated background is expected to leave him fighting an uphill battle in the Senate. He played a major role in seeking to discredit the Democrats’ investigation into Trump’s ties to Russia while working as an adviser on the House Intelligence Committee.
