Biden administration national security adviser Jake Sullivan avoided answering whether he was concerned that President-elect Trump named Kash Patel as his nominee to lead the FBI after Patel named Sullivan a member in a book published last year of the “Deep State”.

“Kash Patel has also published a book in which he lists people who are part of the deep state. Your name is on this list. Would it matter to you if he had full authority for federal investigations? And would you fear personal retribution?” CNN’s Kasie Hunt asked Sullivan during an interview on “State of the Union” on Sunday.

Sullivan declined to be listed in Patel’s book, “Government Gangsters,” saying instead he is focused on his final days in office before Trump is sworn in as president on Jan. 20.

TRUMP NOMINATES KASH PATEL AS FBI DIRECTOR: ‘KEEPPER OF THE TRUTH’

Jake Sullivan, national security adviser, during a joint press conference with Andrii Yermak, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, March 20, 2024 in Kyiv. (Viktor Kovalchuk/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

“Look, I wake up every day to try to defend this country and protect the national interest. I still have 50 days left. I will be fully focused on each and every one of these days to ensure that we have a smooth handover to the next team, and we put them in the best possible strategic position. And I can’t spend my time worrying about other things now,” Sullivan said.

Patel published “Government Gangsters: The Deep State, the Truth, and the Battle for Our Democracy” last year, which Trump described as a “roadmap” to exposing bad actors in government and a “blueprint to help us take back the White House.” help” praised and remove these gangsters from the entire government.

Kash Patel’s nomination sparks excitement and fear; The future of the FBI seems uncertain

“Things are bad. That cannot be denied. The FBI has grossly abused its power, threatening not only the rule of law but also the foundations of self-government that lie at the root of our democracy. But this is not the end.” “Change is possible and urgently needed at the FBI,” Patel wrote in the book, detailing the state of the FBI.

Kash Patel and President-elect Trump (Getty Images)

In the book, Patel provided an alphabetical list of alleged “deep state” members either currently or formerly employed in the executive branch. Sullivan is on the long list, as are other Biden officials such as Attorney General Merrick Garland, Vice President Kamala Harris and FBI Director Christopher Wray. Wray served under both the Trump and Biden administrations.

Trump named Patel his candidate for FBI director on Saturday. Hunt asked Sullivan for his reaction the next morning, noting that Patel was a “fierce Trump loyalist” who had vowed to target the deep states. Sullivan brushed aside the question by focusing on Wray’s work as FBI director.

FBI Director Christopher Wray arrives to testify during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on June 4, 2024 in Washington, DC (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

“I will not speak to President-elect Trump’s candidates. I’ll let him speak for his own reasons. What I want to say is how the Biden administration approached the FBI director position. We inherited Director Chris Wray, who has done a very good job in that role since President-elect Trump appointed him to a 10-year term. “And what sets the FBI director apart from most other candidates is that they are not just a one-term appointee of a president,” he said.

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“They are appointed for a period that extends beyond two presidential terms because they are supposed to be insulated from politics. “President Biden scrupulously adhered to this long-standing bipartisan tradition and for good reason, because the FBI director should not be at the mercy of the whims of politics,” he continued.

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Wray would have to resign or be fired from the FBI for Patel to actually take over the position. The Senate would also have to confirm Patel before he could take on the new role.