Cruz, Blackburn, Johnson and other Republicans celebrate Patel's FBI nomination

On Saturday night, Donald Trump announced the nomination of Kashyap "Kash" Patel as director of the FBI. The president-elect highlighted the qualifications of his choice, describing him as a "brilliant lawyer, investigator and fighter for 'America First,' who has spent his career exposing corruption, standing up for justice and protecting the American people." Less than 24 hours later, some high-profile Republicans reacted to Patel's nomination.

Ted Cruz (R-TX), Mike Johnson and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), among many others, publicly celebrated the president-elect's decision.

"He wants to change Washington"

One of the first to express himself was Senator Cruz, who did the same in dialogue with CBS News' "Face the Nation" program. He began by defining Patel as a "strong" nominee and then emphasized the need to remove the FBI policy.

"The FBI and the Department of Justice are two institutions incredibly important to the rule of law in the United States,” he continued. “I revere both. And one of the most tragic consequences of four years of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris is both the DOJ and the FBI have been politicized and weaponized," Cruz continued.

He also said that those who criticize Patel are "exactly the people who are dismayed about having a real reformer come into the FBI and clean out the corrupted partisans who sadly have burrowed into senior career positions at the FBI."

Cruz was joined by Mike Johnson, speaker of the House of Representatives, who chose to express himself on his X account.

"Kash Patel has extensive experience in national security and intelligence. He is an America First patriot who will bring much-needed change and transparency to the FBI," he tweeted.

Marsha Blackburn, a Republican senator and member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, spoke to Fox News about Patel's nomination.

"President Trump has a mandate from the American people, and that includes exposing the Deep State for their corruption. With Kash Patel as FBI Director, I am confident Epstein’s flight logs & black book will be brought to light so we can break apart these sex trafficking rings," she said.

Bill Hagerty (R-TN), the other senator from Tennessee, stated that Patel has "the right experience to fix the right experience to fix the FBI", so it’s "no surprise that the establishment in Washington is lining up to oppose someone who wants to change Washington". 

For Chuck Grassley, senator from Iowa and candidate to chair the Judiciary Committee starting in January, Patel's election marks the beginning of a path of "transparency and accountability" at the FBI.

"Kash Patel must prove to Congress he will reform & restore public trust in FBI," he added on his X account.

Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) was a bit more ambiguous about Patel's nomination, arguing that Trump "has the right" to nominate whomever he wants and that he's not surprised that he's "picking people he believes are very loyal."

Who is Kash Patel?

He is a 44-year-old lawyer with experience in the first Trump administration, specifically in national security, intelligence and counterterrorism. He was part of the transition team, specifically advising on some high-profile appointments.

Patel worked at the Department of Justice during the Obama administration and later joined the team of Republican Congressman David Nunes, currently CEO of Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG). He served as an aide on the House Intelligence Committee in the lower chamber, only to become a leading detractor of the Democratic committee's investigation into Trump's alleged ties to Russia.

In late 2020, he was appointed chief of staff to acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller. After Trump's first term ended, he joined the TMTG.