Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Indian-American Pentagon official Kashyap Kash Patel will head the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) under the administration of US President-elect Donald Trump. Patel, a loyal supporter of Trump, has actively advocated for dismantling what he describes as the deep state within the US Government.
Born in 1980 in Queens, New York, to Gujarati immigrant parents from East Africa, Patel earned a law degree and began his career as a public defender in Florida, representing clients in state and federal courts. He later joined the Department of Justice as a prosecutor, specialising in international terrorism cases in East Africa and the United States.
His tenure at the Department of Defense as a civilian lawyer saw him focus on global counterterrorism operations, ultimately catching the attention of Congressman Devin Nunes. Nunes recruited Patel as senior counsel on counterterrorism during his time as Chair of the House Intelligence Committee.
Kash Patel gained prominence during Donald Trump’s first term and was involved in the House Republicans’ investigation into the FBI’s handling of the Russia probe. He played a crucial role in drafting a controversial GOP memo that alleged bias in the FBI’s investigation of Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.
This document, referred to as the “Kash Memo” by the American media, became a significant point of contention in the partisan conflict surrounding the Russia investigation. Patel, 44, continued to influence Trump’s national security policies as the Chief of Staff to the Acting Secretary of Defense. During this time, he was also accused of acting as an unauthorised backchannel for Ukraine.
He has openly expressed his desire to reform the FBI. In an interview on the conservative Shawn Ryan Show, Patel suggested significant changes, including dismantling the FBI’s intelligence-gathering operations and repurposing its headquarters. “The biggest problem the FBI has had has come out of its intel shops. I’d break that component out of it. I’d shut down the FBI Hoover building on day one and reopen it the next day as a museum of the deep state,” Patel had said.
“And I’d take the 7,000 employees that work in that building and send them across America to chase down criminals. Go be cops. You’re cops. Go be cops,” he added.
