Kash Patel
US Senate confirms Indian-origin Kash Patel as FBI director
The US Senate voted on Thursday to confirm Indian-origin Kash Patel as FBI director, thus choosing a loyalist of President Donald Trump to head the nation’s top law enforcement agency.
According to Reuters, Patel was confirmed by a 51-49 vote.
The news agency reported that two moderate Republicans, Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, joined the opposition Democrats in opposing Patel, but it was not enough to overcome broad Republican support.
According to CNN, the nomination faced intense scrutiny from Democrats on Capitol Hill who believed Patel will be used by Trump against his political enemies.
According to the US media, during his Senate confirmation hearing, Patel said there will be “no politicization” at the FBI and “no retributive actions” and accused Democrats of cherry-picking excerpts of old comments.
Trump Loyalist
A Trump loyalist, Patel has championed the cause to dismantle what he refers to as the "deep state" within the government.
"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 wrote in a post on Truth Social, his social media platform, earlier on Dec 1 last year.
President-elect Trump praised Patel over his contributions during the Republican's first term, claiming that he played a crucial role in exposing the "Russia Hoax."
According to Reuters, Patel has said he will increase the FBI’s role in countering illegal immigration and violent crime, top Trump priorities, by “letting good cops be cops.”
Who is Kash Patel?
Patel was born in 1980 in New York to Gujarati Indian parents who had immigrated to the United States through Canada.
He received a degree in criminal justice and history from the University of Richmond in 2002.
Two years later, he received a certificate in international law from the University College London and a graduate-entry professional duty from Pace University School of Law in 2005.
He worked as a public defender in Florida for eight years after graduating in 2005.
Patel was hired as a trial attorney in the US Department of Justice National Security Division in 2014.
Three years later, he was appointed senior counsel on counterterrorism at the House Select Committee on Intelligence.
In 2017, Patel significantly became the senior committee aide to House Intelligence Committee chair Devin Nunes.
He has reportedly played a role in Republicans' opposition to the probe into Trump and Russia's interference in the 2016 US polls.
He worked as a senior counsel at the House Reform and Oversight Committee after the Democrats took control over the House of Representatives in 2019.
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