.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Tuesday denied a report that president Donald Trump was considering firing FBI Director Kash Patel. Leavitt shared a photo of Trump smiling beside Patel in the Oval Office to counter the report. She wrote on X that she was in the room when the story was published. “This story is completely made up. I was in the Oval office, where president Trump was meeting his law enforcement team, including FBI director Kash Patel,” she said. Leavitt added that she read the headline aloud and Trump laughed. According to her, Trump said, “That’s totally false. Come on, Kash, let’s take a picture to show them you’re doing a great job.” She ended her post saying, “Do not believe the fake news.” Earlier, MS NOW had reported that Trump was considering removing Patel as FBI director. The outlet, citing three unnamed people, said Trump and his senior aides were unhappy with negative headlines involving Patel. The report further said Trump was weighing Patel’s removal and looking at top FBI official Andrew Bailey as a possible replacement.