T he Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has enormous power to investigate crime. Leading the agency requires judgment, restraint, and, above all, fidelity to the rule of law over loyalty to any individual. On this, Kash Patel, Trump’s nominee for FBI director, falls short.

The nominee for F.B.I. director made his nonprofit into a publicity machine, selling his children’s book, his clothing brand and his image as Donald Trump’s ultimate loyalist.