'Daggonit': Bannon slip-up prompts premature celebration of Kash Patel as FBI director
MAGA supporters were forced to cut short a celebration Monday after right-wing host Steve Bannon falsely reported that President-elect Donald Trump had named Kash Patel as the next director of the FBI.
On his daily War Room broadcast, Bannon shared what he called "blockbuster" news.
"Our own Kash Patel, just named the director of the FBI," Bannon claimed. "Think of the touchdown twins, [Matt] Gaetz at main justice at DOJ and Kash Patel at FBI."
Conservative attorney Mike Davis immediately began celebrating.
"Kash Patel is another grand slam pick by President Trump to lead the FBI, the most broken and corrupt institution in Washington, D.C.," Davis said. "He will go in there and make the necessary reforms to fix the FBI that has been so badly politicized and weaponized against Trump."
"Kash is the perfect pick," he continued. "He has the experience. He has the confidence. He has the loyalty to go clean house at the FBI."
Former Department of Justice attorney Jeffrey Clark claimed Patel had an "excellent background" to be FBI director despite his involvement with the "Stop the Steal" movement that led to the riot on Jan. 6, 2021.
"Hang on," Bannon interrupted. "I'm just, I think, did we misread that? He's not nominated."
"They're saying that if he's nominated, he's going to destroy the FBI," the right-wing host noted. "Daggone it... I'm not saying it's false news. He's not yet nominated."
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At least one former FBI official has warned that naming Patel as FBI director would undermine the department's mission.
"Putting someone like Kash Patel in the position of director of the FBI is, I believe, extremely, extremely dangerous because … his resume isn't traditional," former FBI Special Agent Daniel Brunner told CNN on Sunday.