Patel is a longtime critic of the federal agency he’s now poised to lead.
President-elect Donald Trump announced on Nov. 30 that he would nominate Kash Patel to lead the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI).
“I am proud to announce that Kashyap ‘Kash’ Patel will serve as the next Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” Trump wrote in a post on social media on Nov. 30. “Kash is a brilliant lawyer, investigator, and ‘America First’ fighter who has spent his career exposing corruption, defending Justice, and protecting the American People.”
The post is currently held by Chris Wray, who took the post after Trump fired James Comey. For Patel to take over, Wray would have to step down voluntarily or be dismissed by the incoming president.
Patel is a longtime ally of Trump and has been outspoken in his denunciations of the agency he’s now primed to lead. And he’s promised big changes.
Here’s what to know about Patel.
Legal Background
Patel graduated from the University of Richmond in 2002 with a degree in criminal justice and history, and received a Juris Doctor from Pace University School of Law in 2005.
After law school, Patel worked as a public defender in Florida for eight years, first working for Miami-Dade County before moving into the federal system. As a federal public defender, he represented several clients facing felony charges.
Patel was later hired as a trial attorney in the Department of Justice National Security Division and as a legal liaison to the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC).
Opposition to Russia Collusion Narrative
In April 2017, Patel began to work as a senior aide for then-House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes.
Nunes, who went on to serve as the chief executive officer at the Trump Media & Technology Group, was an outspoken defender of the former president and used the committee’s considerable influence to push back on emerging narratives that alleged Trump’s campaign colluded with Russia in 2016.
In the senior role, Patel would have assisted closely with Nunes’s efforts to challenge the accusations.
By Joseph Lord
