Kash Patel was selected by President Donald Trump late last year to serve as FBI director, and he had a contentious hearing with senators on Friday.

While it remains unclear as to whether Patel will be confirmed, one former FBI agent is hopeful that he can shake up the organization. 

"FBI is currently suffering from a distinct lack of leadership"

Nicole Parker served with the FBI for over a dozen years, and she told Fox News, "There was a palpable disconnect between the line agents and leadership in Washington, D.C."

"These observations inform my belief that the FBI is currently suffering from a distinct lack of leadership and that the future of the FBI will be directly tied to how the next director solves the agency’s problems," Parker continued.

"On day one, the next FBI director should begin implementing a plan to restore integrity within the agency," she insisted, adding that change needs to start at the top.

"The first, most crucial task is to appoint solid leaders on the executive team and throughout the entire FBI," Parker declared.

Parker says "cases should be returned to the field"

In her view, such individuals should exhibit "strict adherence to the Constitution, rather than [to] personal biases and agendas and diversity."

What's more, Parker believes that "[t]he administrative HQ in Washington, D.C., should be trimmed, and the power to select and investigate cases should be returned to the field."

"The bureau also needs a shift in its culture to focus solely on best serving the American people and protecting them at all cost" as "[n]o outside superfluous distractions should be tolerated."

While Parker believes that individuals "who choose not to uphold their Constitutional oaths should be held accountable," agents "who are holding the line" should be elevated.

Consistent with that, Parker indicated that the new FBI director can "[u]nderstand rank-and-file's unique needs and concerns better."

Patel has echoed Parker's concerns

Fox News noted how a 2022 op-ed piece Patel authored for the network suggests that he is on board with Parker's recommendations.

"The politicization of the FBI into a partisan tool to punish the Democrats' enemies and protect their friends is a threat that imperils our republic and demands Congress' immediate attention. They have created a two-tiered system of justice; we must undo it," he argued.

Patel sounded a similar note in his 2023 book "Government Gangsters," stating, "The fact is, we need a federal agency that investigates federal crimes, and that agency will always be at risk of having its powers abused."