Kash Patel 'wasn't Trump's first choice' to head FBI, but his selection was ‘personal message to…’

Amidst the ongoing buzz about Trump's FBI pick Kash Patel, it is being said that the anti-'Deep State' crusader wasn't the President-elect's first choice.

Amidst the ongoing buzz about Donald Trump's FBI pick Kash Patel, it is being said that the anti-'Deep State' crusader wasn't the President-elect's first choice.

Kash Patel's selection was a “personal message to the left that was cheering on Jack Smith”, the special counsel who was bringing charges against Trump, as per the transition official.(AFP / Rebecca Noble)

According to a new report, Attorney General Andrew Bailey of Missouri was a front-runner for the top position.

Why didn't Trump pick Andrew Bailey?

Bailey was not nominated for the job because his Mar-a-Lago interview did not go well and that he “looked the part,” but he “just didn't have the presence in the room,” Axios reported, citing a source within the Trump transition team.

Patel's selection was a “personal message to the left that was cheering on Jack Smith”, the special counsel who was bringing charges against Trump, as per the transition official.

It is well known that when it comes to appointments to the Trump Cabinet, rapport with the president-elect plays a very crucial role. Patel has been a devoted and longtime Trump supporter.

Kash Patel, ardent supporter & loyalist of Trump

Patel has been a devoted Trump supporter for years, seeing similar ground in their distrust of government monitoring and the “deep state,” an insulting phrase that the Republican uses to describe government bureaucracy.

He was among the few Trump supporters who accompanied him to the courthouse during his recent criminal trial in New York, where he called the GOP leader a victim of an “unconstitutional circus” while speaking to the reporters.

His appointment partly breaks with the current trend of FBI directors trying to maintain a distance from presidents.

Patel's vocal opposition to the FBI's probe into any link between Russia and Trump's 2016 presidential campaign highlighted his commitment. He has also contributed to a number of the legal inquiries involving Trump.

He testified in 2022 before the Washington grand jury probing Trump’s stockpiling of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

He also provided testimony at a court hearing in Colorado concerning Trump's attempts to reverse the 2020 presidential election results that resulted on Capitol riots on January 6.