Trump names his picks to lead FBI, DEA

President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday named Kashyap Patel as his pick to serve as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. During Trump’s first administration, Patel served as deputy director of national intelligence, chief of staff of the U.S. Department of Defense, and the National Security Council’s director for counterterrorism. Patel is also a skilled lawyer who tried more than 60 cases before juries during his career as an attorney, Trump said. His appointment is subject to the approval of the Senate.

Who’s the new DEA head? Trump named Chad Chronister as his pick to lead the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency on Saturday. Chronister has served as the Sheriff of Hillsborough County in Florida for more than three decades. Chronister would help attorney general nominee Pam Bondi secure the border and stop fentanyl from killing Americans, Trump said. His appointment likewise is subject to the approval of the Senate.

Did Trump nominate any other individuals over the weekend? Trump nominated Massad Boulos to serve as senior advisor to the president regarding affairs in the Middle East. The president-elect described Massad as a dealmaker and an advocate for peace in the Middle East.

Trump also named Charles Kushner, the founder and chairman of Kushner Companies, as his pick to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to France. Kushner is the father of Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner. Kushner Companies is one of the largest and most successful private real estate firms in the United States, Trump said. Kushner has served as both commissioner and chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and served on the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council, the president-elect added. Trump gave Kushner a pardon in 2020, though by 2006 he had already finished serving a sentence for preparing false tax returns, witness retaliation, and making false statements to the FEC, according to a White House statement.

Dig deeper: Read my report in The Sift about how many of Trump’s cabinet nominees received bomb threats or swatting calls last week.