Major Controversies Surrounding Kash Patel: A Detailed Timeline

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

Kashyap Pramod Patel is an American lawyer who became the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 2025. He also briefly served as the acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives from February to April 2025.

Sections (3)

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, which Kash Patel later wrote about in his 2023 memoir, "Government Gangsters."

2017: Patel Sues FBI Director Christopher A. Wray

In September, 2017, Kash Patel sued FBI director Christopher A. Wray and other Department of Justice officials, 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 London Trip to Interview Steele

In April 2018, Rod Rosenstein inquired whether Kash Patel had traveled to London the previous year to interview Christopher Steele, but Patel did not provide a definitive answer.

July 2019: Appointed Senior Director at NSC

In July 2019, Kash Patel was appointed as the senior director of the counterterrorism directorate of the National Security Council (NSC). He was accused of giving Trump negative information about Ukraine.

October 2019: Patel Files 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.

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

In December 2020, Donald Trump sought to appoint Kash Patel as the deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency. In response, CIA director Gina Haspel threatened to resign.

December 2020: Patel Sues CNN for Defamation

In December 2020, Kash Patel sued CNN over defamation for $50 million.

2020: Promoted Italygate Conspiracy Theory

In 2020, Kash Patel promoted Italygate, a conspiracy theory that alleges an Italian defense contractor conspired with the Central Intelligence Agency to alter the results of the 2020 presidential election in favor of Joe Biden.

2020: Welch Asks Patel If Joe Biden Won 2020 Election

In 2020, Senator Peter Welch repeatedly asked Kash Patel whether Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election; Patel said that the election was "certified" but did not explicitly say that Biden won.

2020: House Select Committee requests communications from Patel relating to the Insurrection Act

In 2020, The House Select Committee requested Kash 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 as part of an examination into Trump's efforts to invoke the Insurrection Act and declare martial law to overturn the 2020 election.

2020: Promoted Conspiracy Theories

In 2020, after leaving office, Patel promoted several conspiracy theories about the deep state, false claims of fraud in the 2020 presidential election, QAnon, and the January 6 Capitol attack.

2020: Echoing False Claims of Fraud in the 2020 Presidential Election

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.

September 2021: Patel Subpoenaed 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, and the committee requested that Patel submit to questioning regarding the establishment of martial law and the Insurrection Act.

2021: Patel Repudiates QAnon During Confirmation Hearing

During his 2021 confirmation hearing, Kash Patel repudiated QAnon, saying, "I have publicly, including in the interviews provided to this committee, rejected outright QAnon baseless conspiracy theories."

2021: Patel's Lawyers Move to Dismiss Defamation Lawsuits

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

February 2022: Patel Claims Clinton's Lawyers Infiltrated Trump Tower and White House Servers

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

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

In April 2022, Kash Patel was listed as the director of Trump Media & Technology Group and described promoting QAnon-adjacent accounts on Truth Social as an intentional business decision.

October 2022: Patel Pleads the Fifth Amendment Before Grand Jury

In October 2022, Kash Patel appeared twice before a grand jury as part of the FBI investigation into Trump's handling of government documents, repeatedly pleading the Fifth Amendment in his first appearance.

2022: Patel Expresses Agreement with QAnon Rhetoric

In 2022, Kash Patel said he specifically 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: Patel Finances Misinformation Promotion and Co-Produces Charity Record

In March 2023, it was reported that Kash Patel provided financial support for promoting misinformation about the January 6 Capitol attack and co-produced "Justice for All", a charity record by Trump and a choir of men incarcerated in connection with the attack on the Capitol.

Loading Video...

June 2023: Patel Sues Jim Stewartson for Defamation

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

December 2023: Patel Vows to "Come After" Media Who Lied About American Citizens

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 falsely describes the origins of the FBI investigation. It was later adapted into a documentary.

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

Check it on Amazon

September 2024: Patel Vows to Close the J. Edgar Hoover Building

In September 2024, Kash Patel vowed to close the J. Edgar Hoover Building, the FBI headquarters, "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".