News Brief
What You Need To Know About Kashyap 'Kash' Patel, Indian-Origin Trump Loyalist Who Is Likely To Be New CIA Chief
Kashyap 'Kash' Patel.jpg
An Indian origin official is in the race to become the new Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director after Donald Trump secure a historic victory in the 2024 US Presidential election.
In the final weeks of his last administration, Donald Trump planned to name Kashyap 'Kash' Patel as the deputy director of the CIA.
Due to the pressure from White House officials and others, Trump could not execute his plan to appoint Patel as CIA deputy director during his last presidency.
However, at a gala of young Republicans last year, Trump had a message for Patel: "Get ready, Kash. Get ready."
Kashyap Patel is of Gujarati ancestry and has a family history that traces back to East Africa.
According to The Atlantic, his father left Uganda during the oppressive regime of Idi Amin in the 1970s and moved to the United States.
Patel was born in 1980 and grew up in Garden City, New York.
Raised in a Hindu family, his senior-yearbook quote, attributed to Jewish theologian Abraham Joshua Heschel, stated: "Racism is man's gravest threat - the maximum of hatred for a minimum reason."
He also obtained a Certificate in International Law from the University College London Faculty of Laws in the UK.
The 44-year-old has a diverse career background, having served as the former Chief of Staff to Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller. Before this, as the Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Counterterrorism at the National Security Council, he was pivotal in executing several of Trump's top priorities.
These included the elimination of key ISIS and al-Qaeda figures such as al-Baghdadi and Qasem al-Rimi, and the repatriation of numerous American hostages.
In addition, Patel served as the National Security Advisor and Senior Counsel for the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
Here, he led the investigation into the Russian active measures campaign to influence the 2016 presidential election.
Starting his career as a public defender, Patel handled complex cases involving murder, narco-trafficking, and financial crimes in both state and federal courts.
The Atlantic describes Patel as a man "who will do anything for Trump," noting his rapid ascent in the Trump administration where he joined as a 40-year-old lawyer in 2019.
