Kash Patel raised the FBI’s first two priorities in a letter to subordinates

Before taking the oath of office as a director of the FBI on Friday, Kash Patel listed the agency’s top priorities in a letter to subordinates obtained by Fox News Digital, Vowed to strengthen the bureau’s resources and “rebuild the American people’s trust in the FBI.”

Patel wrote to colleagues: “I am honored to be nominated and confirmed as your new director.” “While I am new to the bureau’s team, I am in government services and national security work over the past decade, with The FBI and its many partners throughout the law enforcement and intelligence community are commensurate. My commitment. It has always been – always – to pursue justice and uphold the rule of law, and I look forward to continuing with you all that promise.”

Patel also reiterated that keeping Americans safe at home and abroad is an “ineffective task” and that the FBI must continue to support it in the coming months.

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The letter continues: “When I take on this new role, my priorities for the organization are twofold. The first is to provide you with the tools and resources you need to keep our community safe. This will include simplifying our operations at the headquarters , while strengthening our on-site agent presence nationwide and working closer with our essential partners in state and local law enforcement.

The second is to ensure that we rebuild the trust the American people have in the FBI. We will ensure strict obedience to the Constitution and judicial standards for all by committing to the full transparency of the people’s representatives in Congress and upholding all the highest standards we do. ”

“I know you, the dedicated men and women of the FBI are brave justice fighters,” he wrote. “I will always have your support because you have the support of the American people. I look forward to the years to come with You serve together.”

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President Donald Trump chose to serve as director of the FBI, Kash Patel, who appeared in court, during a confirmation hearing on the Senate Judiciary Committee, on January 30, 2025 Capitol Building in Washington. (AP Photo/J. ScottApplewhite, file)

Patel, nominated by President Donald Trump, was confirmed as the ninth FBI director in a narrow Senate vote Thursday, replacing former director Christopher Wray. He is scheduled to be sworn in on Friday afternoon.

In the first Trump administration, Patel served as deputy assistant to the president and senior director of counter-terrorism. He played a key role in the mission to defeat al-Qaeda and ISIS leaders, including the plan to kill ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Patel also contributed to efforts to capture some of the most terrorists and bring them to the United States for prosecution.

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President Donald Trump chose to serve as director of the FBI, Kash Patel arrives at the Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing at the Capitol in Washington, January 30, 2025, Thursday. （AP Photo/Ben Curtis） （AP/Ben Curtis）

Patel is the principal deputy to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), who helped the leadership transition between agents DNI Ric Grenell and John Ratcliffe before he served as deputy agent of Trump and the National Security Council.

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He also focuses on intelligence related to anti-drug and transnational threats. Prior to ODNI, Patel served as national security adviser and senior adviser to counter-terrorism on the House Intelligence Committee. There, he led an investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, exposing FISA abuse and illegal surveillance by Americans, including members of the Trump campaign.

Brooke Singman of Fox News Digital contributed to the report.