Career Timeline of Kash Patel: Major Achievements and Milestones

How Kash Patel built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.

Kashyap Pramod Patel is an American lawyer and former federal prosecutor. As of 2025, he is the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He also briefly served as acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives during February and April 2025.

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Full Timeline Career & Achievements Controversies & Scandals

2012: Started Working at the Department of Justice

In 2012, Kash Patel began working as a junior staff member at the Department of Justice, coordinating with judges for arrest warrant approvals.

2012: Temporary Representation on the Benghazi Attack Case

In 2012, Kash Patel temporarily served as a representative for the Criminal Division on the case against the perpetrators of the 2012 Benghazi attack but was later removed due to disagreements.

2013: Assigned to National Security Division

By 2013, Kash Patel had been assigned to the National Security Division as a prosecutor, concurrently serving as a legal liaison for the Joint Special Operations Command.

January 2014: Junior Position in the Counterterrorism Division

In January 2014, Kash Patel took a junior position in the Counterterrorism Division.

2016: Investigation of Russian Interference in US Elections

In April 2017, As an aide to Nunes, Patel investigated the theory that Ukrainians were promulgating information about Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections.

2016: Impetus for Departure from DOJ

Kash Patel later said that the impetus for his departure from the Department of Justice in 2017 had been the department's response to the 2016 presidential election.

April 2017: Joined House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence

In April 2017, Kash Patel began working for the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, led by Representative Devin Nunes, investigating the theory that Ukrainians were promulgating information about Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections.

2017: Departure from the Department of Justice

In 2017, Kash Patel left the Department of Justice.

April 2018: Inquiry about travel to London

In April 2018, Rod Rosenstein asked Patel whether he had traveled to London the previous year to interview Christopher Steele.

February 2019: Joined National Security Council

In February 2019, Kash Patel joined the National Security Council's International Organizations and Alliances directorate.

April 2019: Shifted work to Ukraine

In April 2019, Kash Patel shifted his work to Ukraine amid an effort by Rudy Giuliani to discredit evidence against Paul Manafort.

July 2019: Appointed Senior Director of the Counterterrorism Directorate

In July 2019, Kash Patel was appointed as senior director of the counterterrorism directorate of the National Security Council (NSC).

February 2020: Advisor to Richard Grenell

In February 2020, Kash Patel become an advisor to Richard Grenell, the acting director of national intelligence, later becoming the principal deputy director of national intelligence.

August 2020: Traveled to Damascus

In August 2020, Kash Patel traveled to Damascus to meet with Ali Mamlouk, the director of Syria's National Security Bureau.

November 2020: Appointed Chief of Staff

In November 2020, Kash Patel was appointed as Christopher C. Miller's chief of staff at the Department of Defense after Trump dismissed Esper. Transition officials expressed distrust of Patel, viewing him as a Trump loyalist. Patel also supported a proposal to separate the National Security Agency from United States Cyber Command.

December 2020: Trump Seeks to Appoint Patel as CIA Deputy Director

In December 2020, Donald Trump sought to appoint Kash Patel as the deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), but CIA director Gina Haspel threatened to resign in response. Mark Milley confronted Mark Meadows about the potential appointment.

2020: Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence

In 2020, Kash Patel became the principal deputy director of national intelligence until May, and then returned to the National Security Council. Also in November, he was named as the chief of staff to acting secretary of defense Christopher C. Miller.

January 2021: Leveraged Association with Trump

After Trump left office in January 2021, Kash Patel leveraged his association with Trump to promote business ventures and made appearances on podcasts.

2021: Hosted Kash's Corner

From 2021, Patel was the host of Kash's Corner, a show on EpochTV.

2021: Managed Trishul Consulting Company and Founded The Kash Foundation

In 2021, after leaving office, Kash Patel managed Trishul, a consulting company, and founded The Kash Foundation, a nonprofit supporting participants in the January 6 Capitol attack.

February 2022: Interviewed Trump on Kash's Corner

In February 2022, Kash Patel interviewed Donald Trump on Kash's Corner, his show on EpochTV.

April 2022: Patel Advised Trump to Fire DOJ Officials

In April 2022, Kash Patel stated that he had advised Donald Trump to fire senior Department of Justice officials.

April 2022: Listed as Director of Trump Media & Technology Group

In April 2022, Kash Patel was listed as the director of Trump Media & Technology Group.

April 2022: Named to Board of Trump Media & Technology Group

In April 2022, Kash Patel was named to the board of Trump Media & Technology Group.

2022: Publication of Children's Books

In 2022, Kash Patel published "The Plot Against the King", a children's book about the Steele dossier, followed by "The Plot Against the King: 2000 Mules" in 2022.

2023: Publication of 'Government Gangsters'

In 2023, Kash Patel wrote "Government Gangsters: The Deep State, the Truth, and the Battle for Our Democracy", a memoir that presents a false narrative about the FBI investigation into Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.

2023: Authored "Government Gangsters"

In 2023, Kash Patel's memoir, Government Gangsters, was published, calling for weakening civil service job protections.

Government Gangsters: The Deep State, the Truth, and the Battle for Our Democracy

Check it on Amazon

July 2024: Guest Host for Steve Bannon's War Room

In July 2024, Kash Patel served as a part-time guest host for Steve Bannon's podcast War Room after Bannon surrendered to a federal prison.

November 2024: Potential Appointment to FBI or DOJ

In November 2024, Donald Trump intended to appoint Kash Patel to a high-profile position in the Federal Bureau of Investigation or the Department of Justice. He was also considered as a potential nominee for director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

November 2024: Nominated as FBI Director

In November 2024, Trump announced that he would dismiss Wray as FBI director and nominate Patel as his replacement.

2024: Release of 'The Return of the King'

After the 2024 presidential election, Kash Patel released "The Plot Against the King 3: The Return of the King".

2024: Consultant for Elite Depot/Shein

For nine months in 2024, Kash Patel worked as a consultant for Elite Depot, a company based in the Cayman Islands that operates Shein, an e-commerce platform.

January 2025: Appeared Before Senate Committee

In January 2025, Kash Patel appeared before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, where he was accused of perjury and faced conflict-of-interest questions.