President-elect Trump’s nomination of Kash Patel as FBI director sparked strong reactions from both supporters and critics on Saturday evening.

Patel’s nomination points to massive changes the agency is likely to undergo under the second Trump administration. A staunch supporter of Trump, Patel is a vocal critic of government corruption and the so-called “deep state” and has sharply criticized the office in the past.

In a September interview with “The Shawn Ryan Show,” Patel said the FBI’s footprint had “gotten so damn big.”

“I would close the FBI Hoover Building the first day and reopen it the next day as a museum of the Deep State,” Patel said.

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

Trump has historically not been a fan of the FBI, which raided his Florida estate in 2022 and investigated false claims years earlier that he was a Russian operative. Most observers expect Trump to demand sweeping reform from his director.

“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 said in a statement. “He played a critical role in exposing the Russia-Russia-Russia hoax and stood as a champion of truth, accountability and the Constitution.”

Patel’s nomination was immediately praised by Republicans. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., Trump’s pick for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, called Patel an “America First fighter.” Representative Byron Donalds from Florida also praised the choice.

“Great choice by @realDonaldTrump,” Donalds wrote on X. “Kash is a patriot and 100% America First.”

Representative Ronny Jackson from Texas also congratulated.

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“Kash was INSTRUMENTAL in President Trump’s first term and will be EVEN GREATER in his second!” wrote the former White House physician. “It’s time to clean this place up and Kash is the man to do it!!! MAGA!”

However, commentators on the left rubbished the decision. MSNBC’s Morning Joe previously called Patel the “personification of MAGA rage at the Justice Department and the FBI.”

On Saturday evening, far-left commentator Mehdi Hassan accused Patel of being a “deeply strange, alarming and sycophantic figure.” Andrew McCabe, who briefly served as acting FBI director under Trump in 2017 before being fired over alleged leaks to the media and “lack of openness,” called Patel’s nomination “a plan to disrupt, dismantle and distract the FBI.”

“It is a terrible development for the men and women of the FBI and also for the nation, which depends on a well-functioning, professional and independent Federal Bureau of Investigation,” McCabe said on CNN. “The fact that Kash Patel is completely unqualified for this job is not even up for debate.”

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Tom Nichols, a contributor to The Atlantic, told MSNBC that Patel is “as dangerous as they come.”

“I think if we still have the ability to be shocked, that’s shocking,” Nichols said. “But I think this is something… a lot of us saw it coming and, you know, it shouldn’t be that surprising. But it is an incredibly dangerous development.”

For Patel to take office, two conditions must be met: current FBI Director Christopher Wray must either resign or be fired, and Patel must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

Wray has not indicated any intention to resign. On Saturday evening, the FBI told Fox News Digital that Wray was focused on his upcoming work.

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“Every day, the men and women of the FBI continue to work to protect Americans from a growing number of threats,” an FBI spokesman said. “Director Wray’s focus remains on the men and women of the FBI, the people we work with, and the people we do the work for.”

Peter Pinedo of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.