Kash Patel, a veteran of national security and intelligence, has been nominated by President-elect Trump to be the next FBI director. Patel’s background ranges from carrying out dangerous missions in the Middle East to implementing counterterrorism strategies against American most-wanted terrorists. According to current and former US national security officials and lawmakers, he is “one of the most experienced people ever to be nominated” to lead the bureau.
Patel served as a deputy assistant to Trump and senior director for counterterrorism, where he was involved in presidential missions aimed at decimating Al-Qaeda senior leadership and ISIS command and control. He was also involved in the planning of the mission to take out Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, among others.
Patel’s experience extends to bringing some of the most-wanted terrorists to the US for prosecution and working on Trump administration efforts to return dozens of US hostages back home. His nomination has been backed by several prominent figures, including Former White House national security adviser Robert O’Brien, who described him as “one of the most experienced people ever to be nominated” to lead the FBI.
However, not everyone shares a positive opinion of Patel. Fired FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe and others have criticized his nomination, alleging that he is unqualified. However, O’Brien and others have described these attacks as “politically motivated” and “objective.”
Patel has also been praised by Victoria Coates, a former deputy national security adviser to Trump and vice president for national security at the Heritage Foundation, who described him as a “strong colleague” who “understands that critical piece of our national security architecture.”
The article also highlights Patel’s work in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), where he focused on intelligence collection against counter-narcotic and transnational threats, and his role in the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election.
Overall, Patel’s nomination has been met with widespread support from current and former US national security officials and lawmakers, who describe him as one of the most experienced individuals to be nominated to lead the FBI.
