Major Controversies Surrounding Kash Patel: A Detailed Timeline

Public opinion and media debates around Kash Patel—discover key moments of controversy.

Kash Patel is an American lawyer and former federal prosecutor. He is currently the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, a role he has held since 2025. Briefly, he also served as the acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in early 2025.

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Full Timeline Career & Achievements Controversies & Scandals

2012: 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 he was allegedly removed over disagreements he had with the office leading the case, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.

January 2014: Junior Position in Counterterrorism Division

In January 2014, Kash Patel took a junior position in the Counterterrorism Division and participated in a charity auction for Switchboard of Miami. Also in January 2014, at a trial for Omar Faraj Saeed al-Hardan, a Palestinian accused of providing material support to the Islamic State, Judge Lynn Hughes berated Patel for his unprofessional attire and had him removed from the court chambers.

2016: FBI Investigation into Donald Trump's Campaign

Kash Patel's 2023 memoir, Government Gangsters, falsely describes the origins of the FBI investigation into Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and the authorization to wiretap Carter Page.

2017: Lawsuit against Christopher Wray and DOJ officials

In September 2024, Patel sued FBI director Christopher A. Wray and other Department of Justice officials, arguing that a 2017 grand jury subpoena for his communication records was retaliation for his work criticizing the FBI investigation into links between associates of Donald Trump and Russian officials.

April 2018: Rosenstein Inquiry

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

2018: QAnon Mention

In 2018, Kash Patel's name was mentioned in a post by Q, an anonymous figure central to the QAnon conspiracy theory, with the message "Kashyap Patel - name to remember".

April 2019: Shifted Focus to Ukraine

In April 2019, Kash Patel shifted his work to Ukraine amid an effort by Rudy Giuliani to discredit evidence against Paul Manafort. Trump personally discussed documents involving Ukraine with Patel.

October 2019: Defamation suit against The New York Times

In October 2019, Kash Patel filed a $44 million defamation suit against The New York Times after they published an article about Fiona Hill's testimony in the impeachment inquiry into Donald Trump.

November 2020: Appointment as Miller's Chief of Staff

In November 2020, Kash Patel was appointed as chief of staff to acting defense secretary Christopher C. Miller after Trump dismissed Esper. Patel was described as influential within the Department of Defense during the presidential transition and faced allegations of obstructing the transition.

December 2020: Defamation suit against CNN

In December 2020, Kash Patel sued CNN over defamation for $50 million. The case was later dismissed and appealed.

December 2020: Trump's consideration of Patel for CIA Deputy Director

In January 2021, it was reported that in December 2020, Trump considered appointing Kash Patel as the deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency, but CIA director Gina Haspel threatened to resign in response. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff questioned whether Patel would replace Wray or Haspel.

2020: Promotion of Italygate Conspiracy Theory

In 2020, Kash Patel promoted Italygate, a conspiracy theory alleging Italian interference in the U.S. presidential election. Christopher C. Miller requested an investigation by the Italian government into the claim, as a result of Patel's beliefs.

2020: Promoted Conspiracy Theories

In 2020, Kash Patel promoted several conspiracy theories about the deep state, false claims of fraud in the 2020 presidential election, QAnon, COVID-19 vaccines, and the January 6 Capitol attack.

2020: Aide to Richard Grenell

In 2020, Kash Patel was named as an aide to Richard Grenell, the acting director of national intelligence, later becoming the principal deputy director of national intelligence until May, when he returned to the National Security Council. Also in 2020 Trump was involved in a plan to oust FBI director Christopher A. Wray and a separate effort to oust Central Intelligence Agency director Gina Haspel and name Patel deputy director of both agencies.

2020: Insurrection Act and martial law investigation

In September 2021, the House Select Committee requested Patel's communications relating to "the establishment of martial law, requests to establish martial law, or legal analysis of martial law" and "all documents and communications relating to" the Insurrection Act. This relates to the 2020 election.

2020: Views on FBI politicization

Patel has conformed to Trump's view that the Federal Bureau of Investigation has become politicized due to the 2020 election.

2020: Criticized for shares and Qatar work

Patel was also criticized for his shares in Shein's parent company, a stock award he received from Trump Media & Technology Group, and his work for Qatar through Trishul. The year was 2020.

January 2021: Leveraging Association with Trump

In January 2021, after Donald Trump left office, Kash Patel leveraged his association with Trump to promote business ventures and made recurring podcast appearances.

January 2021: Trump's consideration of Patel for CIA Deputy Director

In January 2021, it was reported that Trump considered appointing Kash Patel as the deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency in December 2020, but CIA director Gina Haspel threatened to resign in response. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff questioned whether Patel would replace Wray or Haspel.

September 2021: Subpoena by House Select Committee on January 6 Attack

In September 2021, Kash Patel was subpoenaed by the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack. The committee sought communications related to martial law and the Insurrection Act.

2021: Kash's Corner Launch

In 2021, Kash Patel launched "Kash's Corner" (2021-2023) where he advocated for reforming the FBI due to its alleged "illegitimacy". He also cited the Hunter Biden laptop controversy and pushed the Russia investigation origins conspiracy theory on the show.

2021: Dismissal of defamation suits

In 2021, Kash Patel's lawyers moved to dismiss his defamation lawsuits against The New York Times and Politico.

February 2022: Claims about Clinton's lawyers and Trump Tower servers

In February 2022, Patel told Fox News that lawyers for Hillary Clinton had worked to "infiltrate" Trump Tower and White House servers; Patel's claim was used in a Fox News headline that was falsely attributed to a filing in the Durham special counsel investigation.

June 2022: Trump requests access for Patel to administration records

In June 2022, Trump requested that the National Archives and Records Administration grant Kash Patel access to administration records.

October 2022: Grand jury appearances and invocation of the Fifth Amendment

In October 2022, Kash Patel appeared twice before a grand jury as part of the FBI investigation into Trump's handling of government documents. He repeatedly pleaded the Fifth Amendment in his first appearance, later securing immunity and providing testimony.

2022: Agreement with QAnon Rhetoric

In 2022, Kash Patel publicly stated that he agreed with QAnon rhetoric surrounding the origin of SARS-CoV-2, the January 6 Capitol attack, and the first and second impeachments of Donald Trump.

March 2023: Support for promoters of misinformation about January 6

In March 2023, a report detailed testimony that Kash Patel provided financial support to former FBI special agents for promoting misinformation about the January 6 Capitol attack. He co-produced "Justice for All", a charity record by Trump and a choir of men incarcerated in connection with the attack on the Capitol.

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June 2023: Lawsuit against Jim Stewartson

In June 2023, Kash Patel sued Jim Stewartson, an online commentator.

October 2023: Revocation of access to administration records

In October 2023, Patel's designation granting him access to administration records was revoked.

December 2023: Echoing claims of election fraud

In December 2023, Kash Patel told Steve Bannon on War Room that he would "come after the people in the media who lied about American citizens, who helped Joe Biden rig presidential elections"—echoing false claims of fraud in the 2020 presidential election.

2023: Promotion of Unsubstantiated Detoxification Methods

In 2023, Kash Patel was noted to be still hosting Kash's Corner and promoted pills that claim to detoxify the coronavirus spike protein provided by COVID-19 vaccines on Truth Social.

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 about the FBI investigation into Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.