New Delhi:
US President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Indian-American Pentagon official Kashyap “Kash” Patel to head the FBI. Patel, a Trump supporter, has been a vocal advocate of dismantling what he calls the “deep state” within the U.S. government.
“Kash is a brilliant lawyer, investigator, and ‘America First’ fighter who exposes corruption, defends justice, and protects America,” Trump said in a post on his social media platform Truth Social. “I have spent my career protecting the public.”
President-elect Trump praised Patel’s contributions during his first term, saying she played a key role in exposing the “Russia hoax.” Patel’s nomination also reflects dissatisfaction with the current FBI leadership, led by Christopher Wray, whom Trump appointed in 2017.
Mr. Trump has publicly criticized Mr. Wray’s handling of the FBI, particularly the investigation involving Mr. Trump himself. During Mr. Wray’s tenure, the FBI conducted a court-approved search of Mr. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago mansion in Florida related to classified documents, an action that the former president and his allies made him furious.
Mr. Patel, 44, has made no secret of his desire to overhaul the FBI. In an interview with the conservative Sean Ryan Show, Patel proposed sweeping reforms, including dismantling the FBI’s intelligence-gathering operations and repurposing its headquarters.
“The biggest problem the FBI has is what came out of its intelligence shop. I would take the building blocks out of there. We shut down the FBI Hoover Building on day one, and the next day we turned it into a museum of the deep world. ‘States will reopen,’ Patel declared. “And I’m going to take the 7,000 people who work in that building and send them across America to go after criminals. Be a cop. You’re a cop. Be a cop.”
Patel will work under Trump’s proposed attorney general, Pam Bondi, to restore what Trump called the FBI’s original ideals of fidelity, bravery and integrity.
Kash Patel’s Journey
Mr. Patel was born in Queens, New York, to parents of Gujarati descent who immigrated from East Africa. After earning his law degree, Mr. Patel worked as a public defender in Florida, representing clients in state and federal court. He then joined the Department of Justice as a prosecutor and was responsible for high-profile international terrorism cases in East Africa and the United States.
Patel’s career took a turn when he joined the Pentagon as a civilian lawyer. There he worked with special operations forces and focused on global counterterrorism operations. His work caught the attention of Congressman Devin Nunes, then chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, who hired him as his senior counterterrorism adviser.
Role in the Trump administration
Patel rose to prominence during Trump’s first term, participating in the House Republican investigation into the FBI’s handling of the Russia probe. He played a key role in drafting a controversial Republican memo alleging bias in the FBI’s investigation into Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. The document, dubbed the “Kash Memo” by the New York Times, became a flashpoint in the partisan fight over the Russia investigation.
Patel continued to shape Trump’s national security policy as chief of staff to the acting defense secretary. During his tenure, Patel was accused of operating as an unauthorized back channel for Ukraine.
