Who is Kash Patel, the Trump loyalist tapped to run the FBI?
Al Jazeera
Appointment of a loyal aide to the FBI post could end long-running tradition of keeping presidents at arm’s length.
United States President-elect Donald Trump has nominated one of his most loyal aides, Kash Patel, to run the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), drawing a sharp reaction from critics, who question his qualifications and impartiality to hold the position.
Patel, an outspoken critic of the FBI like his boss, has been entrusted to lead the country’s most important federal law enforcement agency.
The 44-year-old has steadfastly promoted the idea of the existence of a “deep state” and the belief the agency is biased against Trump. He has pushed to overhaul the agency.
With the nomination of Patel, Trump also signals that he is preparing to carry out his threat to oust Christopher Wray, a Republican he first appointed in 2017 and whose 10-year term does not expire until 2027.
Kashyap Pramod Vinod Patel, commonly known as Kash, was born in the city of New York, a child of immigrant parents originally from the Indian state of Gujarat.
