Scaramucci on Kash Patel pick: ‘I don‘t think the expectation is that he‘s going to get through’

Ex-White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci compared President-elect Trump’s pick of Kash Patel to lead the FBI to the fate of former Rep. Matt Gaetz’s (R-Fla.) nomination as attorney general.

Gaetz, who withdrew his name from consideration after speaking with Senate Republicans, was originally tapped to lead the Justice Department (DOJ). He faced an uphill battle for confirmation as he was under fire over a DOJ investigation and House Ethics Committee probe into sex trafficking and misconduct allegations, as well as illicit drug use.

“It‘s the same thing with Matt Gaetz,” Scaramucci told CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Monday evening. “The president-elect feels he‘s got a slate of people that are MAGA people. He‘s going to put those up if they can get through.”

He also suggested that while Trump’s initial picks are likely to please his base, he likely has other allies lined up if they don’t get confirmed.

“He‘s doing that because he looks at his base and saying these [picks] are for you,” Scaramucci said, pointing to the president-elect’s quick announcement of former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi — who has longtime ties to the president-elect — as the top federal prosecutor instead.

“I think it‘s the same thing with Kash Patel,” he added. “I don‘t think the expectation is that he‘s going to get through.”

Patel is a staunch Trump ally who has echoed the former president’s plans for retribution. He has focused much of his commentary on attacking the “deep state,” which he has blamed for “weaponizing the government for their own political and personal agenda.” He defended the president-elect during several investigations — including the impeachment inquiries and the Russia election interference probe — that he endured while in the White House, as well as following the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

He faced pushback from the now-disbanded House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 riots, which asked him to sit for testimony. Patel, who held numerous national security roles during Trump’s first administration, was chief of staff to then-acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller.

In its subpoena, the committee wrote: “There is substantial reason to believe that you have additional documents and information relevant to understanding the role played by the Department of Defense and the White House in preparing for and responding to the attack on the U.S. Capitol, as well as documents and information related to your personal involvement in planning for events on Jan. 6 and the peaceful transfer of power.”

Patel has also been openly critical of the Biden administration’s handling of the cases related to Jan. 6 rioters.