President-elect Donald Trump has nominated loyalist Kash Patel to serve as the next Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
“I am proud to announce that Kashyap ‘Kash’ Patel will serve as the next Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” Trump posted Saturday night on Truth Social. “Kash is a brilliant lawyer, investigator, and ‘America First’ fighter who has spent his career exposing corruption, defending Justice, and protecting the American People.”
Learn more about him below, including details on his personal life.
Who Is Kash Patel?
Patel, born in 1980 to Indian immigrant parents, grew up in Garden City, N.Y. He graduated from the University of Richmond in 2002 and later earned a certificate in international law from University College London Faculty of Laws, according to his Facebook page. Patel completed his law degree at Pace University in 2005.
In 2018, the former public defender served as an aide to Rep. Devin Nunes, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, where he gained Trump’s favor during the Russia investigation. Trump praised Patel for this in his social media post, stating he “played a pivotal role in uncovering the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, standing as an advocate for truth, accountability, and the Constitution.” In 2019, Patel joined the National Security Council before becoming chief of staff to the acting defense secretary in the final year of Trump’s first term.
Is Patel Married?
It seems the 44-year-old is not married.
In 2014, according to The New York Times, Patel entered and then dropped out of an Above the Law charity bachelor auction after a blogger pointed out that his license to practice law in the state appeared to be out of date.
What Is Patel’s Net Worth?
It’s unclear what Patel’s exact net worth is.
How Does Patel Make His Money?
After graduating from law school in 2005, Patel spent eight years working as a public defender in Florida—first with the Miami-Dade County Public Defender’s Office, and later as a federal public defender. In 2014, he joined the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Security Division as a trial attorney, also serving as a legal liaison to the Joint Special Operations Command. Three years later, in 2017, Patel was appointed senior counsel for counterterrorism at the House Intelligence Committee.
Since 2022, Patel has served on the board of Trump Media and Technology Group, which owns Truth Social, and holds a consulting contract reportedly worth at least $120,000 annually.
In addition to his 2023 memoir, Government Gangsters, Patel has published two pro-Trump children’s books.
