The Reagan-era director of the FBI, and later the CIA, is urging the Senate to reject two of President-elect Donald Trump’s selections for top law enforcement and intelligence posts.
In a letter to senators on Thursday reported by Politico, former FBI and CIA director William Webster wrote that Kash Patel and Tulsi Gabbard are unqualified to be FBI director and director of national intelligence, respectively.
Webster, who is 100 years old, is the only person to have led both the FBI and CIA. He warned senators that Patel’s personal loyalty to Trump could conflict with the FBI’s duty to uphold the rule of law.
“His record of executing the president’s directives suggest [sic] a loyalty to individuals rather than the rule of law — a dangerous precedent for an agency tasked with impartial enforcement of justice,” he wrote, according to Politico.
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Portrait of William H. Webster from the 1980s. William Hedgcock Webster (1924-) is a former director of the FBI and CIA, the only man to have ever held both positions. (Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
As for Gabbard, Webster criticized her “profound lack” of intelligence experience and said a seasoned leader is needed for the DNI post.
“Effective management of our intelligence community requires unparalleled expertise to navigate the complexities of global threats and to maintain the trust of allied nations,” he wrote. “Without that trust, our ability to safeguard sensitive secrets and collaborate internationally is severely diminished.”
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Judge William Webster, former FBI and CIA director, looks on before a game between the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on August 7, 2018, in Washington, D.C. (Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
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