5 things to know about Kash Patel

President-elect Trump on Saturday nominated longtime ally Kash Patel to lead the FBI, tapping a figure who has pledged to reform the bureau.

In doing so, Trump signaled his plan to remove FBI Director Christopher Way, whom Trump nominated to a 10-year term in 2017.

Patel held numerous national security roles during the first Trump administration but would be a new face at the FBI.

BestReviews is reader-supported and may earn an affiliate commission.

Cyber Monday 2024 Deals

Best Cyber Monday deals for holiday shoppers

Top holiday discounts under $100

Apple products marked down for Cyber Monday sales

Here are five things to know about Patel.

A loyal Trump ally

Patel has been a staunch ally to Trump, stretching back to the FBI investigation into his 2016 presidential campaign.

Patel got his start in politics as a staffer to then-Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), working as an adviser on the House Intelligence Committee.

Patel played a key role there in seeking to discredit the committee Democrats’ investigation of Trump’s ties to Russia. That included authoring a report analyzing FBI and Justice Department responses in their own investigations of Russian election interference.

His criticism of the investigation is a frequent theme in his writings, including in a children's book.

“I discovered a coordinated effort to use the Russiagate hoax as a way to attack then-President Trump,” Patel wrote in an April email.

“It was a big hoax!”

Patel echoes Trump on weaponization, plans for retribution

Patel regularly attacks a “deep state” that he blames for having “weaponized the government for their own political and personal agenda.”

Much of his commentary about alleged government wrongdoing has been focused on both the investigations of Trump, as well as the Jan. 6, 2021, rioters.

“The FBI goes after J6ers like terrorists,” he wrote in a March email.

He has also crafted his own list of “government gangsters” that includes Wray, Attorney General Merrick Garland and former CIA Director Gina Haspel.

Patel has called for using the power of the bureau and the Justice Department to prosecute journalists.

“We’re going to come after you, whether it’s criminally or civilly — we’ll figure that out,” he said during an appearance on Steve Bannon’s podcast.

He's called for major FBI reforms

Patel has called for major shifts at the FBI, starting on his first day as director.

“I'd shut down the FBI Hoover building on Day One and reopen it the next day as a museum of the deep state. 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,” Patel said.

Patel, through his eponymous foundation, has elevated several whistleblowers who have made claims of wrongdoing by the FBI.

“I am on a mission to root out all government gangsters from positions within our bureaus,” he wrote in a July email.

Patel has also been a critic of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), including Section 702, which allows the government to spy on foreigners when they are located abroad.

The FBI relied on a separate provision of the law to spy on Trump campaign aide Carter Page.

Nonetheless, many FISA critics have called for reforms to the law, including requiring a warrant to review information from Americans communicating with foreigners being surveilled.

During last year’s battle to reauthorize Section 702, Patel argued for letting the powerful spy tool lapse. Congress will once again weigh its renewal this coming year.

“We call upon Congress to let it lapse – better to have no authority for 7 days or so than another 365 days of spying on Trump and his supporters,” Patel said at the time in a statement alongside Richard Grenell, who briefly served as director of national intelligence in Trump’s first administration.

He criticized Jan. 6 committee

On Jan. 6, Patel was serving as chief of staff to then-acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller, who was appointed to the role about two months prior, the day after Trump fired Defense Secretary Mark Esper.

His short time at the Pentagon earned scrutiny from the now-disbanded Jan. 6 committee, which asked him to sit for an interview after writing, “there is substantial reason to believe that you have additional documents and information relevant to understanding the role played by the Department of Defense and the White House in preparing for and responding to the attack on the U.S. Capitol, as well as documents and information related to your personal involvement in planning for events on Jan. 6 and the peaceful transfer of power.”

Patel ultimately sat with the panel’s investigators on Dec. 9, after its slate of summer hearings in 2021.

Patel denied any wrongdoing or improper actions related to the attack but has complained about how the Justice Department handled cases involving the rioters.

He’s been highly critical of that work, listing California Democrat Adam Schiff, who is moving from the House to the Senate beginning next month, as a “government gangster” and calling former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) “the main architect of this disinformation campaign.”

In a May email, he wrote that Cheney “and her band of miscreants suppressed evidence that completely exonerates the Jan. 6 defendants from their ginned-up charge of insurrection.”

He's an author

Patel has written several books, including one titled “Government Gangsters.”

A synopsis for the book references “a sinister cabal” that “plotted to overthrow a president,” while Patel “reveals how we can defeat the Deep State, reassert self-government, and restore our democracy.”

Patel is also the author of a children’s book, “The Plot Against The King,” that advertises itself as telling the story behind “one of our nation’s biggest injustices.”

The book portrays Patel as a wizard while the king clearly represents Trump, facing threats from “Hillary Queenton,” while others such as Nunes and Schiff make appearances.

Topics

Kash Patel, Trump’s latest nominee, is just another toady

It is a given that Patel as FBI director would not act independently of the president.
The Hill - 2h
Lawmakers warn against Trump's Kash Patel pick for FBI director

Democrats in Congress are decrying President-elect Donald Trump's pick for FBI director. Trump announced he wants Kash Patel to take over the job but current FBI director Christopher Wray is still ...
CBS News - 1h
AP poll Week 4 reaction: What you need to know about each Top 25 team

The latest AP Top 25 poll is out for the 2024-25 season. Here's what you need to know about all 25 teams.
ESPN - 3h
Americanswers… on 5 Live! Why has Joe Biden pardoned his son?

Hunter Biden faced up to 17 years in prison on federal tax charges
BBC News - 3h
5 Women Win Reparations From Belgium for Crimes Under Colonial Rule

In a landmark case, a court ruled that the women, now in their 70s and 80s, who were taken from their parents in Belgian Congo, were victims of a crime against humanity.
The New York Times - 12m
Winter weather alerts for 5 million people as snow continues to hit northern states

Some 5 million people across the Great Lakes and southern Appalachians are under winter weather alerts Monday morning, with the snow and rain that have disrupted the post-holiday travel period in ...
NBC News - 7h
Here’s a surprising reason most boomers are worried about moving to a senior residence

A new survey points to the importance of quality meals as a key driver to win over older adults.
MarketWatch - 1h
Cohere’s Rerank 3.5 is here, and it’s about to change enterprise search forever

Cohere's new Rerank 3.5 AI search model processes queries in 100+ languages and improves enterprise search accuracy by 30%, revolutionizing how global businesses access and utilize their data.
VentureBeat - 1h
‘It’s about consequences’: what can we expect from Wicked: Part Two?

The much-anticipated first part of the blockbuster musical adaptation has bewitched audiences worldwide, but there are dark times ahead in the sequel. Spoilers ahead Despite more than a year ...
The Guardian - 20m