For Patel to assume the role, Wray would either step down voluntarily or be dismissed by Trump before his term concludes in 2027.
During Trump’s first term, Patel served as chief of staff at the U.S. Defense Department, deputy director of National Intelligence, and senior director for counterterrorism at the National Security Council.
Multiple sources familiar with the Trump transition process previously expressed “deep concerns” about the possibility of Patel being named FBI director — “a role where he would have vast authority to investigate the president’s political enemies, help declassify sensitive information and carry out a purge of career civil servants,” CNN reported.