Who Is Kash Patel?

My VIP for this week is Kash Patel, the current FBI Director who was grilled by the Senate Judiciary Committee last week. Patel was described as “testy” during his testimony, which he was when being grilled by Democrat Senators. In his article published at The Daily Signal, Fred Lucas found five key moments in the Patel hearing. 

1. Charlie Kirk Assassination

Potentially, more than 20 people were aware that the suspect in the Sept. 10 killing of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk had talked about doing so, Patel told the committee….

2. ‘Central Question’ on Jeffrey Epstein

The FBI director also fielded questions from several senators about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, whose death in federal prison was ruled a suicide. Patel said during the hearing that Epstein was never an informant for the FBI….

3. ‘Operation Arctic Frost’

Grassley announced at the top of the hearing that he and Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., chairman of the Senate’s Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, released additional information Tuesday on the FBI’s “Operation Arctic Frost.” During the Biden administration, the Arctic Frost probe targeted 92 Republican-leaning groups and individuals, including the Kirk-founded Turning Point USA, for investigations, according to FBI whistleblowers who informed the senators about it earlier this year….

4. Adam Schiff ‘Political Buffoon’

Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., engaged in a fiery confrontation with Patel when he asked about the Epstein case and interrupted Patel’s attempts to answer questions. Patel reminded the panel that it was Schiff who propagated the debunked theory that Trump had conspired with the Russian government to win the 2016 election….

“You have disgraced this institution and are an utter coward,” Patel said….

Patel responded, “I’m not surprised you continue to lie from your perch and put on a show so you can go raise money for your charade. You are a political buffoon at best.”

5. ‘You’re Not Going to Be Around Long’

Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., told Patel that Trump would likely fire him….

“You can tell me my time is over,” Patel said. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Who Is Kash Patel?

My VIP for this week is Kash Patel who was confirmed last week to be the FBI director after several weeks of delay. The vote was 51-49 with two Republican senators opposing him. No one should be surprised to learn that the two senators are Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). Fred Lucas discussed the Patel appointment in his article published at The Daily Signal. 

President Donald Trump nominated Patel to reform the FBI, which has been the subject of several whistleblower complaints in recent years and is under scrutiny for being politicized and weaponized, including for targeting parents who spoke out at school board meetings and for plans to infiltrate traditional Catholic churches.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., noted that law enforcement organizations and state attorney generals have supported Patel’s nomination….

Patel has a 16-year career in law and natural security, with both career and political positions at the Justice Department, the White House, and the Defense Department. Patel will bring needed reforms to the FBI, said Ken Cuccinelli, former Virginia attorney general and former acting deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security in the first Trump administration.

“The FBI has been at the heart of weaponization of government,” Cuccinelli told The Daily Signal. “Putting someone in there with as much knowledge and experience as Kash Patel has is an important step forward. He’ll do a great job and will keep America protected, with a less biased FBI. There is an amazing amount to clean up there. He will never get it all cleaned up. But I think he can pick up the bureau up by the ankle and shake the change out of its pockets.”

In 2023, Patel’s book “Government Gangsters: The Deep State, the Truth, and the Battle for Our Democracy” was published and detailed his critique of federal agencies, including the Justice Department and the FBI. The book was a sticking point for many Democrat senators during the confirmation process.

During the first Trump administration, Patel was chief of staff to acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller.

Before that, Patel was the deputy assistant to the president and the senior director for counterterrorism at the National Security Council.

While at the NSC, he helped oversee Trump policies that included eliminating the Islamic State terrorist group as well as al-Qaeda leadership such as Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and Qasim al-Rimi.

Patel also was the principal deputy to former acting Director of National Intelligence Ric Grenell, who oversaw the operations of 17 intelligence agencies.

Before going to the White House, Patel was senior counsel for the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence under then-Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., and oversaw the investigation into the Russian active measures campaign to influence the 2016 presidential election.

The two-and-a-half-year investigation into whether Trump conspired with the Russian government to win the 2016 election was prompted by information fed to the FBI from Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign and Democrat operatives. The House panel and later special counsel Robert Mueller concluded there was no evidence that Trump conspired with Russia.

Patel also played a key role in the Nunes memo that showed the FBI relied on partisan “politically motivated or questionable sources” to obtain a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrant to spy on Trump campaign aide Carter Page.

Who Is Kash Patel?

When President-elect Donald Trump announced his choice for FBI director, I cheered. Kash Patel, the nominee for FBI director, has been making conservative news for years. I was impressed then by his intelligence and courage and remain so. Now he is slated to run the FBI, and Fred Lucas published an article at The Daily Signal about what we should know about him. 

In another major announcement of house cleaning, Trump announced Saturday on Truth Social that the former Pentagon senior official, influential congressional staff, White House aide and former terrorism prosecutor, would be his nominee to run the FBI, which has been besieged by scandal and whistleblowers in recent years.

“I am proud to announce that Kashyap ‘Kash’ Patel will serve as the next Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” Trump’s post said. “Kash is a brilliant lawyer, investigator, and ‘America First’ fighter who has spent his career exposing corruption, defending Justice, and protecting the American People.”

The president-elect noted the role Patel played in exposing misconduct by the FBI regarding the Russia investigation.

“He played a pivotal role in uncovering the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, standing as an advocate for truth, accountability, and the Constitution,” Trump added. “Kash did an incredible job during my First Term, where he served as Chief of Staff at the Department of Defense, Deputy Director of National Intelligence, and Senior Director for Counterterrorism at the National Security Council. Kash has also tried over 60 jury trials.”

“This FBI will end the growing crime epidemic in America, dismantle the migrant criminal gangs, and stop the evil scourge of human and drug trafficking across the Border. Kash will work under our great Attorney General Pam Bondi, to bring back Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity to the FBI,” Trump continued.

For anyone who chooses to claim that Patel is not qualified to lead the FBI, here are his credentials outlined by Lucas moving in reverse order:

·         Chief of staff to Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller during the first Trump administration.

·         Deputy assistant to the president and the senior director for counterterrorism at the National Security Council. While there, he helped with Trump policies that included the elimination of the Islamic State terrorist group and Al Qaeda leadership including al-Baghdadi and Qaseem al-Rimi.

·         Principal deputy to the former Acting Director of National Intelligence Ric Grenell, who oversaw the operations of 17 intelligence community agencies.

·         Senior counsel for the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence under then-Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) where he “oversaw the investigation into the Russian active measures campaign to influence the 2016 presidential-election.” He also played a part in the Nunes memo showing that the FBI relied on partisan “politically motivated or questionable sources” to get a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrant to spy on Carter Page, Trump’s campaign aide.

·         Terrorism prosecutor at the Justice Department.

·         While working at the Justice Department, Patel also served as the liaison officer to Joint Special Operations Command, “to conduct collaborative targeting operations against high value terrorism targets.”

In addition to all of the above listed qualifications, Patel authored a book titled Government Gangsters: The Deep State, the Truth, and the Battle for Our Democracy. This book “detailed his critique of federal agencies, including the Justice Department and the FBI.”