White House dismisses report claiming President Trump considered ousting FBI Director Kash Patel, calling the story “completely made up”.
WASHINGTON: The White House has denied reports that President Donald Trump is considering removing Kash Patel as FBI director.
News outlet MS NOW reported Trump and his aides had grown increasingly frustrated with unflattering headlines generated by Patel.
The outlet cited three unidentified sources claiming the president was weighing Patel’s removal and considering top FBI official Andrew Bailey as replacement.
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt called the story “completely made up” in a post on social media platform X.
She posted a photo of Trump and Patel that she said was taken in the Oval Office on Tuesday.
Leavitt said Trump and Patel were in a meeting when the report was published.
“The president reacted to it by laughing and saying, ‘What? That’s totally false. Come on Kash, let’s take a picture to show them you’re doing a great job!'” she stated.
A spokesperson for MS NOW said the news organization stands behind its reporting.
The outlet was formerly known as MSNBC before rebranding as MS NOW. – Reuters
