Republican Sen. Mike Rounds emphasized his support for current FBI Director Christopher Wray after President-elect Donald Trump announced he intended to nominate loyalist Kash Patel for the department’s top job.
“I think the president picked a very good man to be the director of the FBI when he did that in his first term,” Rounds told ABC “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl about Wray. “When we meet with him behind closed doors, I’ve had no objections to the way that he’s handled himself, and so I don’t have any complaints about the way that he’s done his job right now.”
However, Rounds reiterated the president-elect’s right to select his Cabinet and Trump’s selection of Patel is not surprising.
“It doesn’t surprise me that he will pick people that he believes are very loyal to himself, and that’s been a part of the process,” Rounds said. “Every president wants people that are loyal to themselves.”
In his book “Government Gangsters,” Patel calls for a “comprehensive housecleaning” of the Justice Department and an eradication of “government tyranny” within the FBI, promising to fire and prosecute officials. Patel has also promoted conspiracy theories about the “Deep State” and vehemently defended Jan. 6 rioters.
FBI directors are nominated and confirmed to serve 10-year terms. After being nominated by Trump, Wray’s term began in August 2017. Months earlier, Trump had fired James Comey, who was still less than four years into his tenure as director. Trump did not mention Wray in his Truth Social post announcing Patel for director, but unless Wray resigns the position, Trump will have to fire him to nominate a new leader.
“The president has the right to make nominations, but normally these are for a 10-year term,” Rounds explained. “We’ll see what his process is and whether he actually makes that nomination.”
Rounds reiterated that although the Senate will give Trump the “benefit of the doubt,” it will uphold its “constitutional role.”
“We still go through a process, and that process includes advice and consent, which, for the Senate, means advice or consent sometimes,” Rounds promised.
Turning to the global stage, Rounds — a staunch supporter of the U.S. aiding Ukraine in its war against Russia — called Russian President Vladimir Putin a “tyrant” and suggested that negotiating with him may be futile.
“I think Mr. Putin is a tyrant. I think dealing with him is going to be extremely difficult,” Rounds said, expressing hope for Trump to succeed but recognizing that this would present a challenge for “any president.”
“I want to see Ukraine with its sovereignty protected,” he said. “I just think it’s going to be a major, major task to overcome what Putin is offering” on Ukraine giving up territory to end the war.
He added that you cannot trust “a guy that doesn’t honor their word,” which he says Putin has done.
In regard to Trump’s promise to slap 25% tariffs on all imports from Canada and Mexico, Rounds said the president-elect is a “successful businessman” who “really does believe that tariffs can be a great tool.”
“He thinks that by suggesting these tariffs right now, he’s going to get the attention of the leaders in the other countries,” Rounds said, adding that Trump believes the tariffs will “fix our borders.”
However, Rounds also recognized the potential impact tariffs could have on his constituents, particularly South Dakota farmers who could be affected by the tariffs.
In 2018, China retaliated against Trump’s tariffs by implementing its own on U.S. soybean exports that hurt U.S. farmers.
“Look, we’re an [agricultural] state. And when I talk to my farmers and to my ranchers about that, they’re concerned about retaliation,” Rounds said, though he added that they understand the importance of tariffs, especially when it comes to the border.
“If we’ve got to have tariffs, so be it,” he said. “We’re going to support the president.”
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