Reagan FBI director urges caution against Gabbard, Patel [View all]

Source: ABC News

December 28, 2024, 1:30 PM


The only man to lead both the FBI and the CIA urged caution to senators who might vote to confirm former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence and Kash Patel to lead the FBI, according to a letter sent to senators this week.

"I am deeply concerned about the potential nominations of Mr. Kash Patel to lead the FBI and the inclusion of Former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard as DNI in intelligence roles," William Webster, who led the FBI during the Carter and Reagan administrations and the CIA after that, said in a letter to senators on Thursday.

Webster wrote that Patel's loyalty to Trump may cause problems. "Statements such as 'He’s my intel guy' and his record of executing the president’s directives suggest a loyalty to individuals rather than the rule of law -- a dangerous precedent for an agency tasked with impartial enforcement of justice," said Webster, who turns 101 in March.

He said that during his tenure at the FBI, he was contacted by the president only twice -- once by President Jimmy Carter, who asked him to investigate an issue, and once when President Ronald Reagan had a question about Nancy Reagan's security. Webster added that Gabbard's "profound lack of intelligence experience and the daunting task of overseeing 18 disparate intelligence agencies further highlight the need for seasoned leadership."

Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/reagan-fbi-director-urges-caution-gabbard-patel/story?id=117166000