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 holds key positions, serving as the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives since 2025.

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Full Timeline Career & Achievements Controversies & Scandals

2016: FBI Investigation into Donald Trump's Campaign

In 2016, the FBI investigation into Donald Trump's presidential campaign began, the origins of which are falsely described in Kash Patel's 2023 memoir, "Government Gangsters".

2017: Suit against FBI director

In September 2017, Kash Patel sued Christopher A. Wray, the FBI director, and other officials with the Department of Justice, arguing that a 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: Questioned About Travel to London

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

2018: QAnon Mention

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

October 2019: Defamation Suit Against The New York Times

In October 2019, Kash Patel filed a US$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 Chief of Staff

In November 2020, Kash Patel was appointed as chief of staff to acting Secretary of Defense Christopher C. Miller. During this time, Patel oversaw the Department of Defense's transition efforts during the presidential transition of Joe Biden. Transition officials reportedly expressed distrust, viewing him as a Trump loyalist, with allegations that he intentionally blocked the transition.

December 2020: Defamation Suit Against CNN

In December 2020, Kash Patel sued CNN for defamation for US$50 million. The case was later dismissed and appealed to the Court of Appeals of Virginia.

December 2020: Consideration for CIA Deputy Director Role

In December 2020, President Trump considered appointing Kash Patel as the deputy director of the CIA, which led to Gina Haspel, then director of the CIA, threatening to resign.

2020: Promotion of Italygate Conspiracy Theory

In 2020, Kash Patel promoted Italygate, a conspiracy theory alleging Italian involvement in altering the 2020 presidential election results. His belief was brought to the attention of Christopher C. Miller, who requested an investigation.

2020: Promoted Conspiracy Theories

In 2020, Kash Patel promoted 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: Controversy at Confirmation Hearings

In 2020, Patel received further criticism 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.

2020: Communications Requested Regarding Insurrection Act

In 2020, the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack requested Patel's communications relating to the Insurrection Act. American Oversight, a watchdog group, also sought Patel's texts in August.

2020: Echoes of election fraud

In December 2023, Patel echoed false claims of fraud in the 2020 presidential election.

January 2021: Trump Seeks to Appoint Patel as CIA Deputy Director

In January 2021, during Trump's presidency, there were reports that Trump sought to appoint Kash Patel as the deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in December 2020. In response, Gina Haspel, the director of the CIA, threatened to resign. Mark Milley confronted Mark Meadows about whether Patel would replace Wray or Haspel. In the final days of Trump's presidency, Mike Lindell was photographed with a document stating, "Move Kash Patel to CIA Acting."

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

In September 2021, Kash Patel was subpoenaed by the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack, and the committee requested his testimony and communications relating to the Insurrection Act and martial law.

2021: Advocating for FBI Reform on Kash's Corner

From 2021 to 2023, on Kash's Corner, Patel advocated for reforming the FBI, owing to its alleged "illegitimacy" and citing the Hunter Biden laptop controversy, as well as engaging in the Russia investigation origins counter-narrative.

2021: Dismissal of Defamation Lawsuits

In 2021, Kash Patel's lawyers moved to dismiss both the lawsuit against The New York Times and Politico.

2021: Management of Trishul Consulting and Founding of The Kash Foundation

In 2021, after Trump left office, Kash Patel managed Trishul, a consulting company, and founded The Kash Foundation, a non-profit that supports participants of the January 6 United States Capitol attack with legal costs and sells merchandise branded as K$H.

February 2022: False claims promoted on Fox News

In February 2022, Kash 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.

April 2022: Patel Advises Trump to Fire DOJ Officials, and Appointment as Director of Trump Media & Technology Group

In April 2022, Kash Patel told an audience that he had advised Trump to fire senior officials within the Department of Justice. Also in April 2022, Patel was listed as the director of Trump Media & Technology Group, where he later described promoting QAnon-adjacent accounts on Truth Social as an intentional business decision.

June 2022: Request for Access to Administration Records

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

June 2022: Investigation of Toxic Corporate Culture

In June 2022, Kash Patel was paid US$130,000 to investigate claims that the company's two co-founders, Andy Dean and Wes Moss, had "fostered an unpredictable and toxic corporate culture" at Trump Media & Technology Group. His report was later included in a legal dispute over Dean and Moss's shares in the company.

October 2022: Grand Jury Testimony and Fifth Amendment Plea

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.

2022: Agreement with QAnon Rhetoric and QAnon Message

In 2022, Kash Patel stated his agreement with QAnon rhetoric regarding the origin of SARS-CoV-2, the January 6 Capitol attack, and Donald Trump's impeachments. He also signed copies of "The Plot Against the King (2022)" with "#WWG1WGA", a QAnon message, and created the #FlannelFridays trend.

March 2023: Report Detailing Financial Support for Misinformation and Release of Charity Record

In March 2023, a report detailed Kash Patel's financial support for promoting misinformation about the January 6 Capitol attack. In the same month, he co-produced "Justice for All", a charity record by Trump and a choir of men incarcerated in connection with the attack.

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June 2023: Lawsuit Against Jim Stewartson

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

October 2023: Designations Revoked

In October 2023, Kash Patel's and John Solomon's designations to access administration records were revoked.

December 2023: Claims of election rigging

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: Advocating for FBI Reform on Kash's Corner

September 2024: Vow to close FBI Headquarters

In September 2024, Kash Patel vowed to close the J. Edgar Hoover Building, the headquarters of the FBI, "reopen it the next day as a museum of the 'deep state'," and "take the 7,000 employees that work in that building and send them across America to chase down criminals."

November 2024: Consideration for High-Profile Positions and Nomination for FBI Director

In November 2024, reports indicated that Donald Trump intended to appoint Kash Patel to a high-profile position in the FBI or Department of Justice and was considered as a potential nominee for Director of the CIA. On November 30, Trump announced that he would dismiss Wray, naming Patel as his nominee for the FBI position.