(NewsNation) — Kash Patel, who President-elect Donald Trump has tapped to lead the FBI, has vowed to reform and restore trust in the federal agency that he’s described as “thoroughly compromised” while facing criticism from Democrats that he is not qualified for the job.
Patel needs to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate in order to secure the role, although some Washington insiders say he will face an uphill battle in landing the job. If confirmed, Patel would replace the FBI’s current director, Christopher Wray, who was appointed by Trump and whose tenure wasn’t expected to end until 2027.
Some Republicans, including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, have praised Patel’s nomination as “very strong,”
Who is Kash Patel?
Patel began his career as a public defender after the New York native and son of Indian immigrants graduated from law school at Pace University and received a certificate in international law at the University College London Faculty of Laws. Patel, 44, also received an undergraduate degree from the University of Richmond, according to his Department of Defense biography.
Patel spent several years working as a prosecutor with the Department of Justice. According to his 2023 book, “Government Gangsters: The Deep State, The Truth, and the Battle For Our Democracy”, Patel wrote that he oversaw prosecuting criminals with ties to al Qaeda, ISIS, and other terrorist groups.
After working as an aide to U.S. Rep. Devin Nunes, R-California, Patel joined the National Security Council before he was named chief of staff for Christopher Miller, the then-acting Secretary of Defense during the end of Trump’s first term in the White House.
The New York Times reported that Trump ordered that Patel be given a job at the National Safety Council after it was found that Patel had authored the “Nunes Memo”, The document was critical, the report said, in House Republicans undermining the Department of Justice’s investigation into possible Russian inference in the 2016 presidential election.
Kash Patel’s vision for the FBI
In his book, Patel has called for a “comprehensive housecleaning of the Justice Department. Patel said that the process would include firing “the top ranks” and also pledged to prosecute anyone who used their authority for political ends, ABC News reported. He also wrote that the FBI has become “thoroughly compromised” and that the agency will remain a threat unless drastic measures are taken.
He has also pledged to also carry out an agenda that includes:
- Closing the FBI’s Washington headquarters and turning the building into a museum of the Deep State
- Patel vowed that after closing the headquarters, he would send the 7,000 employees who work in Washington around the country to “chase down” criminals
- Patel has previously vowed to target journalists and other members of the media and said that he would make it easier to sue journalists. He said in a podcast interview with Trump ally Steve Bannon that he would “come after the people who lied about American citizens who helped Joe Biden rig presidential elections, the Associated Press reported.
- He has also said he would ensure the agency will aggressively pursue government officials who leak information to reporters, adding that he would “find the conspirators”.
- Patel has said he will dramatically reduce the FBI’s footprint and said that he will strip 51 former intelligence officials of security clearances that they still hold
Kash Patel’s ties to Donald Trump
Trump became impressed with Patel after he wrote the Nunes Memo and has continued to advance the former public defender’s career ever since.
Axios reported that as a staff member with the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Patel was tasked with leading the committee’s investigation into Moscow’s interference with the 2016 presidential election in which Trump defeated Hillary Clinton.
The outlet also reported that Patel assisted with writing a memo that accused FBI and Department of Justice employees of bias and abusing their surveillance powers when they allegedly spied on a former Trump campaign staffer.
After Patel became Miller’s chief of staff, Trump flirted with appointing Patel as a possible replacement for CIA Director Gina Haspel, who Trump was reportedly considering firing after he lost the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden. According to reports, Patel was picked to lead the Pentagon transition effort which worked directly with the Biden-Harris administration before Biden took office in 2021.
Media reports stated that Patel became involved in the classified documents case against Trump, which has since been dismissed. Patel reportedly became one of the former president’s top advisers to deal with the National Archives and the Justice Department in connection with the classified documents. Patel was never charged in the case, the reports indicated.
The Associated Press also reported that Patel testified at a court hearing in Colorado in a case linked to Trump’s alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Patel testified that Trump ordered between 10,000 and 20,000 troops to deploy before the January 6, 2021 riots at the U.S. Capitol.
Shortly after Trump left office, Patel launched Fight with Kash, an organization that funds defamation lawsuits and sells a wide variety of merchandise, including branded socks and other clothing with the “K$H” logo.
In a social media post announcing Patel’s nomination, Trump called Patel “a brilliant lawyer, investigator and America First fighter.”
What happens to Christopher Wray if Kash Patel is confirmed?
As Patel moves toward Senate confirmation hearings, Wray will face the decision of whether to resign or remain on the job and the possibility of being replaced.
The New York Times reported that despite being appointed by Trump to lead the FBI in 2017, Wray quickly fell out of the president’s favor for not running the agency Trump wanted. Wray remained on the job and was told by Trump following the 2020 election that he would not be fired.
However, after the FBI raided Trump’s Mara-A-Lago resort in 2022 as part of the classified documents case, Trump suggested Wray resign. Wray remains in the position although Patel’s nomination is being viewed as a move to force Wray to step down, the report indicated.
In a statement issued after Trump’s announcement naming Patel as his pick, the FBI said “Wray’s focus remains on the men and women of the FBI, the people we do the work with, and the people we do the work for.”