President Donald Trump has picked the person he wants to lead the FBI, with his Senate confirmation hearing due soon, but many are extremely opposed to Kash Patel taking up the position.
Kash Patel was a former aide to President Trump and previously held the position of Department of Defence chief of staff.
The son of Indian immigrants, Patel was a former defence lawyer and federal prosecutor who caught the attention of Trump after becoming a senior counsel to the House of Representatives intelligence committee in 2017.
He is also known to be a fervent Trump supporter and a critic of the FBI, just like Trump, chosen to shake things up at the law enforcement agency.
In fact, Patel has suggested dramatically limiting the FBI’s authority amid claims that it has targeted conservatives in recent years – allegations that previous FBI directors have denied.
When announcing Patel as his pick, Trump praised him as being an “advocate for truth, accountability, and the constitution” and cited his accolades as a reason for his nomination.
“Kash is a brilliant lawyer, investigator, and ‘America First’ fighter who has spent his career exposing corruption, defending justice, and protecting the American people,” Trump said.
But, his position isn’t a done-deal, as his ability to lead the agency has been called into question.
Why are people saying Kash Patel is ‘unfit to lead’ the FBI?
Critics have said he is unqualified for the position, which would lead nearly 40,000 employees across 55 offices as well as 350 satellite offices across the world.
Many have also pointed to Patel’s long-standing dislike of the agency and have cited fears that he will use the role to target critics of Trump.
Senate Judiciary Democrats this week have highlighted an AI-generated video of Patel as being one reason for him to be disqualified from the position. The video showed him wielding a chainsaw against several political opponents, including Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who is gay, Assistant Secretary for Health Rachel Levine, who is transgender, President Joe Biden, and others.
He also has a so-called ‘enemies list’, which was published in his 2023 memoir Government Gangster, who he says are members of the “deep-state.”
Patel’s book also called for an eradication of “government tyranny” within the FBI by firing “the top ranks”.
The BBC has reported that Democratic senators are expected to point towards Patel’s “pattern of poor judgement and self-aggrandisement, to cast doubt on his fitness to lead the FBI” during the confirmation hearing.
Democrat Dick Durbin, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released a letter earlier this week saying Patel was “unfit to lead” the FBI, accusing Patel of leaking news of an exchange of American hostages held in Yemen in 2020, potentially endangering the deal.
Kash Patel, Donald Trump’s pick for FBI Director, shared an AI-generated video of himself chainsawing Members of Congress, political opponents, and media outlets.
Dangerous and disqualified. pic.twitter.com/2hcDu7ORPA
— Senate Judiciary Democrats (@JudiciaryDems) January 25, 2025
Is Kash Patel married?
Information about Patel’s personal life is scarce, but there is no evidence that he is married.
What is Kash Patel’s net worth?
According to Business Insider, Patel is worth nearly $6 million, having made more than $2.6 million last year alone from a combination of consulting, paid speeches, and books.
Patel is required to file public final disclosure reports in order to be considered by the Senate for the top job at the FBI.
His consulting work involved dealing with clients such as Trump Media and Technology Corp. – which runs the social media app Truth Social.
Patel also listed Save America, Trump’s leadership PAC, as a client as well as the Embassy of Qatar.
His 2023 memoir 0earned between $100,00 and $1 million in royalties – though the exact number is unclear – and over $45,000 in royalties for his Trump-inspired children books.
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