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Here are five key facts to know about Kash Patel, who has been chosen by President-elect Donald J. Trump to lead the FBI. Despite Trump viewing Patel as a strong enforcer in national security, some of his former colleagues have raised concerns about his qualifications for the role.
Written by Elizabeth Williamson
Updating from the city
Kash Patel, who President-elect Donald J. Trump has selected as the director of the F.B.I., does not have the usual qualifications for the role. He previously worked as a federal prosecutor and public defender, with limited experience in management or law enforcement. The president-elect values Patel’s consistent efforts to undermine the Justice Department’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, which was seen as beneficial to Trump.
Below are five key points from a recent article in the New York Times about Mr. Patel. He has criticized those who oppose Mr. Trump as being unfair and has claimed that he played a significant role in uncovering corruption within the FBI.
His former coworkers are questioning his qualifications. Mr. Trump announced his appointment for the F.B.I. on social media, claiming that Mr. Patel had experience with over 60 jury trials. However, colleagues from Mr. Patel’s time as a public defender in Florida remember him as an average performer with a strong dislike for Justice Department prosecutors. His former boss, Michael Caruso, who was a federal public defender in the Southern District of Florida, stated that Mr. Patel avoided filing motions that he believed he would not win.
After working for three years as a terrorism prosecutor at the Justice Department, Mr. Patel has made the false claim that he was the main prosecutor in the government’s case against those responsible for the 2012 Benghazi attack. However, he was actually a junior staff member at the Justice Department during that time and was not involved in the trial team.
The individual responsible for writing the ‘Nunes Memo’ is Mr. Patel. Upon being impressed by Patel’s work on the memo, President Trump appointed him to a position on the National Security Council staff. The memo, also known as the secret "Nunes memo," played a significant role in House Republicans’ attempts to discredit the Justice Department’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
The memo from Mr. Patel, which was made public by Mr. Trump against the wishes of intelligence agencies and Democrats, led to unfounded allegations by Mr. Trump, Republicans, and conservative media that the Russia investigation was politically motivated and that the government had conducted surveillance on the Trump campaign.
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