Trump nominates loyalist Kash Patel to serve as FBI director

President-elect Donald Trump announced Saturday he would pick Kash Patel, a 44-year-old loyalist with little significant experience in federal law enforcement, to serve as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

"Kash is a brilliant lawyer, investigator, and "America First" fighter who has spent his career exposing corruption, defending Justice, and protecting the American People," Trump wrote in a post to Truth Social, arguing Patel would "bring back Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity to the FBI."

Patel, who will have to earn Senate confirmation to become FBI director, has earned a reputation as the ultimate Trump loyalist who has spread baseless "deep state" conspiracy theories and called for a purge of perceived Trump enemies in the FBI.

More from NBC News:

His nomination is likely to again put pressure on Senate Republicans who rejected Trump's nomination of Matt Gaetz, a firebrand Trump loyalist who was criminally investigated for sex trafficking, to serve as Attorney General.

"It's ridiculous. He's arguably the least qualified person ever nominated for a senior position in federal law enforcement," said a former senior law enforcement official who interacted with Patel. "I don't know anything significant that he achieved at the DOJ. He was not well regarded as a prosecutor."

Patel has promoted the falsehood that the 2020 election was "stolen" from Trump as well as the baseless conspiracy theory that federal bureaucrats in the "deep state" tried to overthrow the former president.

Patel, without citing any specific evidence, has called for replacing "anti-democratic" civil servants in law enforcement and intelligence with "patriots" who he says will work for the American people. In his memoir, "Government