1. United States
2. Mass.
3. Letter

REJECT TRUMP HENCHMAN PATEL AS HEAD OF THE FBI Donald Trump announced Saturday that he intends to replace current FBI director Christopher Wray with Kash Patel, one of his most loyal henchmen. Wray’s term lasts until 2027, suggesting Trump is preparing to fire Wray or force him to resign, and even by Trump standards, Patel is a frightening pick. He has vowed to purge any FBI employee who does not support the Trump agenda and weaponize the bureau to “come after” those who criticized Trump and stood against his coup attempt in 2020 – including the media, who he would like to make it easier to sue. He is also a conspiracy theorist who has embraced the QAnon cult; fed false information about Ukraine to Trump and false information about military operations to the Pentagon, endangering U.S. troops; attempted to cover for Trump’s mishandling of classified documents; and has publicly endorsed supplements to “reverse” the effects of the COVID vaccine. His appointment portends a dangerous weaponization of federal law enforcement on Trump’s behalf, and it is incumbent on the Senate to say hell no. While we’ve seen several Republicans lining up behind Trump’s machinations as usual, there are early signs we might be able to stop Patel. Our democracy depends on having an FBI that can operate independently and without political bias. Please publicly reject Patel as a candidate and push Trump to keep Wray in place.