NEW: Ted Cruz Predicts Whether Kash Patel Will Be Confirmed By Senate

Allies of Kash Patel, the fiery Trump nominee to head the FBI, rushed to his defense over the weekend in predicting that he would be confirmed by the Senate. Among them was Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), who declared on Sunday that President-elect Donald Trump has put forward a “very strong nominee” with a good chance of becoming the Bureau’s new chief.

Cruz took part in “Face the Nation” where he told host Major Garrett that he believes Patel, a brash defender of Trump’s commitment to overhauling the Justice Department, stands a good chance when the Senate considers him for the post in January. “Listen, I think Kash Patel is a very strong nominee. The entire slate of Cabinet nominees President Trump has put forward is very strong. I believe every one of these Cabinet nominees is going to be confirmed by the Senate. I think Kash Patel is going to be confirmed,” Cruz said.

(VOTE: Should JD Vance Run For President In 2028?)

He continued: “Look at his background. He has a serious, professional background. He was a prosecutor, he was a public defender, he was a senior intelligence staffer on Capitol Hill. He was a senior intelligence staffer in the White House. He was the chief of staff of the Department of Defense. He was deputy director of national intelligence. And I’ve gotta say, all of the weeping and gnashing of teeth, all of the people pulling their hair out are exactly the people dismayed about having a real reformer come into the FBI and clean out the corrupted partisans who sadly have burrowed into senior career positions at the FBI.”

WATCH:

Patel has drawn fire for his past praise of Trump’s handling of the January 6th, 2021 riots at the Capitol, but his undeniable resumé may give Republicans pause before they consider voting against him. President-elect Trump has made plain his disdain for a Justice Department he believes unfairly targeted him with prosecutions over the past two years. After voters again handed him the keys to the White House, Trump this time around has promised to install loyalists at the FBI and Justice Department who will carry out his mandate. Democrats have fretted about whether that means they will be prosecuted for the J6 congressional committee that investigated Trump and which placed a large share of the blame on him for violence that occurred that day.

“One of the most tragic consequences of four years of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris is that both DOJ and the FBI have been politicized and weaponized, and I think Kash Patel is a very strong nominee to take on the partisan corruption in the FBI,” Cruz added. Asked what Trump should do about Christopher Wray, the current director who Trump himself appointed in 2017, the Texas Republican said that would be up to Wray. “Either he will resign or President Trump will fire him. But it’s no secret to anybody, including Chris Wray, that he is not going to continue to serve as the head of the FBI under Donald Trump,” added Cruz.

Matt Gaetz, Trump’s initial pick to lead the Justice Department, withdrew his nomination last week after suffering a withering storm of criticism and doubt about his ability to be confirmed by the Senate. Most observers believe Patel will now draw the most incoming fire among Trump’s nominees given his past vociferous defense of the former president.

(FREE REPORT: Take Advantage Of Trump’s New “IRS Loophole” ASAP)