White House denies report of Trump considering removing FBI director

The Trump administration is denying a report from MS NOW that the president is considering removing FBI Director Kash Patel amid recent scrutiny of his use of Bureau resources.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a social media post that she read the story’s headline to Trump in the Oval Office while he was meeting with Patel and the president responded: “What? That’s totally false. Come on Kash, let’s take a picture to show them you’re doing a great job!”

Leavitt posted a picture of Trump and Patel standing next to each other with their thumbs up. Asked later while traveling to Florida on Air Force One if he’s considering replacing Patel, Trump said “No.”

MS NOW, citing three unnamed sources, reported that Trump and those around him have been concerned about reporting on Patel. An MS NOW spokesperson said in a statement after Leavitt’s social media post that the news outlet “stands behind its reporting.”

The New York Times reported that a SWAT team from the Bureau served as security for Patel’s girlfriend at a National Rifle Association convention in Atlanta, and that Patel used a government jet for recreational travel.

Patel was at the White House Nov. 25 for the president’s annual pre-Thanksgiving turkey pardon. Trump acknowledged him, saying he is “very busy doing a great job.”

A former Justice Department attorney and congressional staffer, Patel was a controversial choice to lead the FBI. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, said at Patel’s confirmation hearing that he didn’t have the “experience, the temperament or the judgment” to lead the agency.

Patel has been at the forefront of Trump’s aggressive use of federal law enforcement, and his actions have roiled the Bureau. A federal lawsuit filed Sept. 10 alleges Patel illegally fired top FBI executives on orders from the Trump administration as part of a campaign to turn the nation’s premier law enforcement agency into a political arm of the White House.

This story has been updated to add new information.

Contributing: Josh Meyer, Sarah D. Wire, Aysha Bagchi

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: White House denies Trump might remove FBI Director Kash Patel