Who is Kash Patel? Trump loyalist, first Indian origin American to become FBI chief - 10 things to know

The Republican-dominated US Senate on Thursday confirmed Kash Patel, Indian-origin American and ‘ultimate Trump loyalist’, as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Kash Patel, 44, secured confirmation as FBI director with a 51-49 vote, despitea strong opposition from Democrats. The vote largely followed party lines, except for Republican Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who opposed his appointment to lead the 38,000-member Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Patel also drew flak from Democrats for his promotion of conspiracy theories, his defense of pro-Trump rioters who attacked the Capitol on January 6, 2021 and his vow to root out members of a supposed "deep state" plotting to oppose the Republican president. Earlier, he has also referred to journalists as traitors and vowed to and prosecute some reporters.

Patel previously played a key role in helping Republicans discredit the Russia election interference probe. The former Republican House staffer had also worked in various high-ranking staff roles within the defense and intelligence communities for the previous Trump administration.

Here are 10 things to know about Kashyap ‘Kash’ Patel:

• Patel was born in New York to Gujarati parents who had previously immigrated to the US from another country.
• He began his career as a public defender and handled a wide range of complex cases, including murder, narco-trafficking, and intricate financial crimes.
• He also worked as a terrorism prosecutor with the Department of Justice and led investigations spanning multiple theaters of conflict. As per 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.
• Patel is a staunch Trump ally who played a role in several legal investigations into Trump. He also accompanied Trump to the courthouse during his recent criminal trial in New York, where he told reporters that Trump was the victim of an “unconstitutional circus.”
• He first caught the limelight as an outspoken critic of the FBI's investigation into potential ties between Russia and the 2016 presidential campaign.
• He also drew animosity from some more experienced national security officials during the first Trump government — with some viewing him as 'volatile and too eager to please the then-president'.
• He has also been very vocal over his support for the Ayodhya Ram Mandir and previously claimed that there was a "disinformation campaign" targetting India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• “There was a Hindu temple there for one of the quintessential gods in the Hindu pantheon in 1500 that was toppled, and they have been trying to get it back for 500 years. Washington establishments conveniently forgot this part of history,” he said last year.

(With inputs from ageicies)