Washington, April 24 (IANS) President Donald Trump continues to back FBI Director Kash Patel, the White House said, defending his leadership and citing a sharp drop in crime across the United States.

​White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president “does still have confidence in the FBI director and in our law and order team to do what they’ve been doing so well over the course of the last year and a half.”

She pointed to falling crime rates. “The crime rates in this country have completely plummeted,” she said. The United States is at “a 125-year low in murder rates across this country.”​

Leavitt cited data from Washington. “Murders are down nearly 60 per cent in our nation’s capital,” she said, adding that residents “can be very grateful for” the trend.​

The remarks come as the administration faces questions over federal investigations and oversight. Leavitt said a probe into financial management at the Federal Reserve has not been dropped, but has been moved.

“The investigation still continues. It’s just under a different authority,” she said.​

She credited federal law enforcement personnel for the decline in crime. “The great men and women of the FBI… are helping make this happen,” she said.​

Patel, a close Trump ally, has been a key figure in the administration’s law enforcement approach. His tenure has drawn attention for its focus on crime reduction and internal accountability.​

The Democrats are seeking his resignation after recent investigative reporting by The Atlantic Magazine. He has filed a USD245 million lawsuit against them.​

“Every day Kash Patel remains in this job is another day that undermines the FBI and its mission,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said.​

“Kash Patel must resign immediately. He is not a serious person. He has not demonstrated the skills required for the job. And the last few days have shown that he does not have the judgment to lead an agency like the FBI,” he demanded on the Senate floor.

​“This is what happens when Trump just chooses acolytes, people who suck up to him for important jobs. There shouldn't be any criteria in choosing the head of the FBI. But instead, it seems to be Trump's only criterion, and it puts him in trouble, it puts him in the hot seat, in the frying pan over and over again by choosing people whose only criterion is loyalty to him,” Schumer said.