Donald Trump made a triumphant comeback as the 47th US President after defeating Kamala Harris in a closely fought election. The President-elect will be naming members of his Cabinet and other high-ranking administration officials in the coming weeks. The discussion has now shifted to who will Trump choose as his lieutenants in his cabinet.
Among the anticipated new appointees, Kashyap ‘Kash’ Patel, a prominent Indian-American and staunch Trump supporter, is widely speculated to head the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), America's powerful foreign intelligence agency.
Known for his loyalty to Trump, Patel played a significant part in Republican efforts to counter the Russia election interference investigation. His previous experience includes key roles within the defense and intelligence sectors during Trump’s first term, as well as serving as a senior House staffer.
However, his appointment can only be finalised after Senate confirmation, which looks not too difficult after Republicans won a majority. Patel is likely to be appointed as a member of the National Security Council if he fails to secure the Senate vote.
Patel’s early life and career
According to his US Department of Defense profile, Patel oversaw the successful prosecution of criminals aligned with Al-Qa’ida, ISIS and other terror groups. He also served as the DOJ Liaison Officer to Joint Special Operations Command and worked with several key counterterrorism units “to conduct collaborative global targeting operations against high value terrorism targets”.
He had served as the Principal Deputy to the Acting Director of National Intelligence under the previous Trump administration and oversaw the operations of all 17 intelligence community agencies.
“Patel served as the Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Counterterrorism at the National Security Council. In that capacity, he oversaw the execution of several of President Donald Trump’s top priorities, including eliminating ISIS and Al-Qa’ida leadership such as al-Baghdadi and Qasem al-Rimi, and the safe repatriation of numerous American hostages,” as per his official bio.
Patel’s career took a defining turn when he was recruited by Devin Nunes, then head of the House Intelligence Committee, to lead its investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election. Patel’s “Nunes Memo” cast doubt on the FBI’s handling of the case and received widespread attention, and was well-received by Trump boosting Patel’s profile within Republican circles.
Born on February 25, 1980, in New York to Indian immigrant parents from East Africa, Patel has roots in Vadodara, Gujarat. His parents had moved to the US in the 1970s. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Richmond before earning a law degree and a Certificate in International Law from University College London. He started his career began as a public defender in Miami, where he spent nearly nine years handling high-stakes cases, including murder, drug trafficking, and financial crimes.