White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on X that the information was "completely fabricated", sharing a photo of Trump and Patel in the Oval Office on 25/11. According to Leavitt, president Trump and FBI director Patel were meeting when the news of the alleged removal surfaced in the media. The president reportedly laughed, stating: "What? This is completely false. Come on Kash, let's take a photo so everyone can see you're doing great!"

President Donald Trump (right) and FBI director Kash Patel in the Oval Office, White House on 25/11. *Photo: The White House*

In a separate statement to the press, the White House praised Patel's contributions. "President Trump has assembled one of the most talented, impressive administrations in history, and they are executing the president's agenda excellently. FBI director Patel is a key member of the team and is working tirelessly to restore credibility to the FBI," the White House stated.

US media outlets reported on 25/11, citing sources, that president Donald Trump and his top aides were increasingly frustrated with negative issues attributed to FBI director Kash Patel. These aides reportedly told allies that the president was considering removing Patel by mid-next month and was looking at senior FBI official Andrew Bailey as a replacement.

Patel has drawn criticism from both the left and right in the US since president Trump appointed him as FBI director, the nation's premier law enforcement agency. He angered Trump loyalists in July when he released one memo that effectively closed the investigation into pedophile billionaire Jeffrey Esptein. Some Trump supporters believe "deep state" elites protected individuals close to the pedophile billionaire within the Democratic party and Hollywood.

Patel also faced criticism following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at a university in Utah. The FBI director initially announced a suspect's arrest a few hours after the shooting, but later admitted the wrong person had been apprehended and released them. The actual suspect was eventually arrested after a 33-hour manhunt.

Fox News reported in September that the relationship between the FBI director and Attorney General Pam Bondi was particularly strained, despite Patel retaining the White House's confidence.

Huyen Le (According to Reuters, Fox News)