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    • Trump did not pick Kash Patel as CIA director
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    Trump did not pick Kash Patel as CIA director

    Online Niel Posted on

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    Claim: Trump nominated Kash Patel to be CIA director

    A post with topics from November 11 (direct link, archive link) shows an image of Kash Patel, an adviser during President-elect Donald Trump’s first term.

    “BREAKING NEWS Trump just named Kash Patel to be the next CIA director! This is huge!” the text of the post reads.

    The post received nearly 2,000 likes in three days. Other versions of the claim have also circulated widely on Threads, TikTok and X, formerly Twitter.

    More from the fact-checking team: How we select and research claims | Newsletter by e-mail | Facebook page

    Our Rating: False

    Trump had not nominated anyone to lead the Central Intelligence Agency when the post was shared. He chose John Ratcliffe, not Patel, a day later.

    Trump chose Ratcliffe, not Patel, to head the CIA

    Patel he has held several roles during Trump’s first term as president, serving as chief of staff for former Acting Secretary of the Department of Defense, Christopher Miller and like Trump’s representative to handle National Archives records related to its administration.

    But it is not Trump’s choice to lead the CIA during his upcoming term.

    Fact checking: Debunking false and misleading claims about President-elect Trump

    Trump spent most of the week after his electoral victory selection of nominees for various positions in his cabinet and elsewhere in his administration. But at the time the post was shared, he had not made his selection for the CIA public knowledge post. He nominated Ratcliffe for this on November 12, the day after the post was shared. Former Texas Congressman served as Trump’s director of national intelligence in the last year of his first presidential term.

    Reuters reported that some of the Trump allies wanted Patel, “considered Trump’s best loyalist,” for the CIA openingbut the press described a Senate confirmation of Patel as a “challenge” for any position.

    The The Constitution empowers the Senate TO approve or reject presidential candidates for cabinet-level positions, including director of the CIA. A president can bypass this process with “break schedules” to temporarily fill those vacancies while the Senate is not in session. Legislative body must be on hiatus for 10 or more days before an appointment can be made.

    USA TODAY previously debunked false election-related claims that Trump has nominated model and reality star Amber Rose to lead the Department of Educationthat more people voted against Trump than for him and that CBS News accused Trump of cheating to win the 2024 race.

    USA TODAY reached out to several social media users who shared the post, but did not immediately hear back.

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    USA TODAY is a verified signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network, which requires a demonstrated commitment to impartiality, fairness and transparency. Our fact-checking activity is supported in part by a grant from Meta.

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