Kash Patel takes reins at scandal-ridden FBI with ‘America always’ mindset: ‘Let good cops be cops’

After being confirmed by the U.S. Senate, President Donald Trump’s new FBI Director Kash Patel is not wasting any time in taking the reins at the country’s top investigative agency, which has been marred by recent scandals and a breakdown in public trust.

Even before being sworn in to begin his 10-year term later this afternoon, Patel will be spending the day meeting with his new staff at the FBI’s J. Edgar Hoover Building.

Patel has previously said that he would shut down the FBI building on day one. Though there is no indication that Patel plans to do that today, he is expected to make some changes. These include moving agents and other employees into the field and working to instill transparency between the agency and the public.

In his first statement to Fox News post-confirmation, Patel said that his mission is clear: “Let good cops be cops—and rebuild trust in the FBI.”

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FILE – Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s choice to be director of the FBI, appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee for his confirmation hearing, at the Capitol in Washington, Jan. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Patel was confirmed Thursday afternoon in a narrow 51-49 vote in the Senate. He faced staunch opposition from Democrats who accused him of wanting to reform the FBI for the sake of political interests.

Rank-and-file agents, however, have expressed to Fox that they agree change is needed, but many are waiting to see how far Patel will go.

The FBI under the Biden administration’s leadership has faced repeated scandals over the last four years. 

Among those was when former FBI Director Christopher Wray faced backlash amid the attempted assassination against Trump when he appeared before the House Judiciary Committee and cast doubt on whether the president was struck by a bullet or just shrapnel. 

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FBI Director Christopher Wray was questioned on Wednesday about a questionnaire asking FBI employees whether they support Donald Trump. (Chris Kleponis / AFP)

In January 2023, conservative lawmakers slammed an internal FBI memo from the Richmond field office titled “Interest of Racially or Ethnically Motivated Violent Extremists in Radical-Traditionalist Catholic Ideology Almost Certainly Presents New Mitigation Opportunities.”

The memo identified “radical-traditionalist Catholic[s]” as potential “racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists” and said that “racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists (RMVEs) in radical-traditionalist Catholic (RTC) ideology almost certainly presents opportunities for threat mitigation through the exploration of new avenues for tripwire and source development.”

The DOJ and FBI were also heavily criticized by parents nationwide in 2021 when Attorney General Merrick Garland issued a memo directing the FBI to use counterterrorism tools related to parents speaking out at school board meetings against transgender-related issues and critical race theory curricula.

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Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., (left) got into a tense exchange with FBI DIrector Christopher Wray (right) over the FBI’s infamous anti-Catholic memo during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.  (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Speaking at CPAC on Thursday night, Elon Musk said that he is hopeful Patel will get to the bottom of the assassination attempt, earning cheers from the crowd.

After being confirmed, Patel said that the “politicization of our justice system has eroded public trust—but that ends today.”

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“American people deserve an FBI that is transparent, accountable, and committed to justice,” Patel said. “Working alongside the dedicated men and women of the Bureau and our partners, we will rebuild an FBI the American people can be proud of. And to those who seek to harm Americans—consider this your warning. We will hunt you down in every corner of this planet. Mission First. America Always. Let’s get to work.”

Patel will be sworn in as the ninth director of the FBI outside the Hoover Building at 4 p.m. on Friday. Vice President JD Vance is expected to be present for the swearing-in ceremony. 

Fox News Digital politics reporter Emma Colton contributed to this report.