What to Know About Kash Patel, Trump’s Pick to Lead the FBI

Patel is a longtime critic of the federal agency he’s now poised to lead.

Kash Patel, former chief of staff to then-acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller, speaks during a campaign event for Republican candidates at the Whiskey Roads Restaurant & Bar in Tucson, Ariz., on July 31, 2022. Brandon Bell/Getty Images

President-elect Donald Trump announced on Nov. 30 that he would nominate Kash Patel to lead the 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 social media post 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.”