Frank Figliuzzi: “Kash Patel shows no devotion to the Constitution--only blind allegiance to Trump.”
“Do not obey in advance!”
This week FBI Director Christopher Wray gave us a profile in cowardice when he announced he would resign before Donald Trump took office because Wray knew Trump was going to fire him. A patriot would’ve forced Trump to publicly fire him—which would’ve triggered a tsunami of news articles about why Trump was firing the very FBI Director he appointed in 2017. That would’ve been a perfect opportunity for Democrats to (hopefully) speak out about the threat Trump poses to our nation with his desire to turn the FBI into his own version of Joseph Stalin’s secret police that silenced dissent or East Germany’s Stasi that did the same.
But Wray did exactly what Yale Professor Timothy Snyder warned not to do in chapter one of his book, “On Tyranny” when faced with the threat of an authoritarian leader. As Snyder wrote, “Do not obey in advance.” He added, “Most of the power of authoritarianism is freely given. Individuals think ahead about what a more repressive government will want and then offer themselves without being asked.” That is what Wray did.
As a result, now we must focus more on Trump’s pick for FBI Director and that is Kash Patel. I spoke earlier this week to former FBI Assistant Director Frank Figliuzzi about Patel. Figliuzzi stated point blank, “Kash Patel shows no devotion to the Constitution, but blind allegiance to Trump.” He continued, “The incompetency and lack of qualifications of Kash Patel is the least of my concerns right now. It rather it's the blind allegiance to one human being sitting that will sit in the oval office, Trump.”
Patel has never come close to heading an agency like the FBI that employees nearly 40,000 people and has an annual budget in the area of $11 billion dollars. But Trump doesn’t care about competence, he solely cares about loyalty. And Patel—as Figliuzzi detailed—has vowed absolute loyalty to Trump including “that he intends to pursue prosecutors and investigators.”
That’s true. Patel has promised to be Trump’s sword of vengeance—or Trump’s “political executioner” as one expert aptly put it-- going after not just those who dared investigate Trump but also as he put it “the people in the media who lied about American citizens and who helped Joe Biden rig presidential elections.” And yes, Trump’s pick for FBI director has peddled lies that Trump actually won the 2020 election—along with other BS conspiracy theories including ones in a book he wrote for the MAGA youth.
Beyond those lies, the NY Times on Friday published an in-depth look at Patel’s history that including that he “exaggerated his own importance” when it comes to his past work in the Department of Justice as a prosecutor. Examples include Patel lying in his book and in interviews on right wing media that he was the “lead prosecutor” in the Benghazi investigation after our embassy was attacked in 2012. In reality, as the NY Times reported, Patel held “a junior position in the counterterrorism section in late January 2014 — well after the Benghazi investigation started. He left the department in April 2017, about six months before the first Benghazi case went to trial.”
The NY Times documented numerous other lies by Patel. But that doesn’t matter to Trump—after all, Trump lies every time he talks. All Trump is focused on is an FBI director who will prosecute those who dare criticize him or seek to hold him accountable from the Jan 6 committee members--who Trump last week again said should “go to jail”--to media figures.
The GOP Senators know this history of Patel but based on reports, they are prepared to confirm him as FBI Director. Every GOP Senator that supports Patel is telling you they want an unscrupulous, unqualified person who will weaponize the FBI to target Democrats, the media and grassroot activists who oppose Trump.
I will keep repeating this: The next four years under Trump will be worse than we want to imagine. And Patel will be a key player for Trump in that dark scenario where the FBI will be used to silence Trump’s critics.
You can watch my full interview with Frank Figliuzzi below—which begins with a discussion of the killer of the CEO of United Healthcare.
Need a laugh?! Every Friday on my show it’s time for What Just Happened?! As we look back at the insanity of the week. Joining me this week to talk everything from Democratic leaders failing to take on Trump to drones in New Jersey are activist and Substack writer Tara Dublin and comedian Keith Price.
I spoke with legendary radio host Thom Hartmann this week about the GOP’s very real plans to gut Social Security and Medicare. Plus we talked strategies for Democrats to use to fight back.
Why won’t corporate media talk the role sexism and racism played in Trump’s win? I discussed the huge role sexism and racism played in Trump’s win--and more with law professor Jennifer Taub:
You can watch more of my interviews from the past week including of Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wisc) on my YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@TheDeanObeidallahShow
My allegiance and my devotion is to the people of this continent. Who have been denied of a bright future by a cadre of oligarchs who think more of their pockets than their principles.
What I’ve heard about Wray resigning instead of being fired is Wray will appoint his replacement thus blocking Trump from appointing without hearings (vacation appointment). Seems a strategic move to me. I’ve my doubts on how vocal Dems would be if Trump fired Wray, or if they were whether or not they would be allowed to be heard by media. Also I’ve heard Wray is rushing promotions to place many agents into safer positions, “Trump proofing” the FBI as best as he can.