National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Sunday that the director of the FBI must not be involved in the “whims” of politics, which is what President Biden and FBI Director Christopher Wray have tried to accomplish.
When CNN’s “State of the Union” asked him for his thoughts about President-elect Donald Trump’s selection of Kash Patel to lead the FBI, Mr. Sullivan said he would speak to Mr. Trump’s nominees and focused on how Mr. Biden handled the situation.
“What I will say is how the Biden administration has approached the position of FBI director. We inherited Director Chris Wray, who has done a very good job in the role, from President-elect Trump, who appointed him to a 10-year term,” Mr. Sullivan said.
He said the FBI director position is different from the others because the director is appointed for a term that is longer than two presidential administrations, as a way to be “insulated from politics.”
“President Biden scrupulously adhered to that longstanding bipartisan tradition, and for a good reason, because the FBI director should not be subject to the whims of the tos and fros of politics,” Mr. Sullivan said.
When asked how he feels about being labeled as a member of the “deep state” by Mr. Patel, Mr. Sullivan said he doesn’t concern himself with it.
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“Look, I wake up every day to try to defend this country and protect the national interest. I have got 50 days left,” he said. “I’m going to stay totally focused on every single one of those days to make sure that we have a smooth handoff to the next team and we put them in the best strategic position possible. And I can’t spend my time worrying about other things at this point.”
Mr. Patel has previously talked about the deep state, and has said he would dismantle it and take down those in the government and the media who have played a role in it.
He served in the first Trump administration as chief of staff at the Defense Department, deputy director of national intelligence and senior director for counterterrorism at the National Security Council.
• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.