Donald Trump has nominated Indian-American Pentagon official Kash Patel as FBI Director, who advocates for dismantling the “deep state” within the US government.
“A lawyer by profession, also an investigator, he has dedicated his life to exposing corruption, defending justice, and protecting the American people,” said Trump in a post on Truth Social.
Trump praised Patel during his first term for exposing the “Russia Hoax.” Trump's nomination signals dissatisfaction with the current FBI leadership under Christopher Wray, who was appointed in 2017.
Trump has openly criticised outgoing FBI Director Wray for handling the investigation surrounding Donald Trump's court-approved search at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida in connection with classified documents. The move enraged Trump’s supporters.
During his recent interview with the conservative Shawn Ryan Show, Patel said he would overhaul the existing setup, 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 said, adding, "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 would serve under Trump’s proposed Attorney General, Pam Bondi, to restore what Trump described as the FBI's original ethos: fidelity, bravery, and integrity.
Kash Patel was born in Queens, New York, to parents of Gujarati descent who emigrated from East Africa.
After completing his law degree, Patel worked as a public defence lawyer in Florida, where he represented clients in state and federal courts. Later, he joined the Department of Justice as a prosecutor, handling high-profile international terrorism cases across East Africa and the United States.
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