History of Kash Patel in Timeline

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

1972: Patel's Father Expelled from Uganda

In 1972, Kash Patel's father, Pramod Patel, was expelled from Uganda by dictator Idi Amin. The Patels, originally from the Patidar community in Gujarat, India, had temporarily relocated to India and then Canada.

February 25, 1980: Kash Patel Born

On February 25, 1980, Kashyap Pramod "Kash" Patel was born. This marks the beginning of his life and career.

Others born on this day/year

2000: The Plot Against the King: 2000 Mules

In 2000, Patel publishes "The Plot Against the King: 2000 Mules".

2002: Graduation from the University of Richmond

In 2002, Kash Patel graduated from the University of Richmond with a degree in criminal justice and history.

2003: Joined American Bar Association Program

In 2003, as a student at Pace University, Patel joined the American Bar Association's Judicial Intern Opportunity Program.

2005: Started Career as Public Defender

In 2005, Kash Patel began his career as a public defender in Miami-Dade County, Florida.

2005: Graduated from Pace University School of Law

In 2005, Kash Patel graduated from the Pace University School of Law.

2012: Capture of Austin Tice

In 2012, Austin Tice, an American journalist who was captured in Syria. Later, Patel met with an unnamed Syrian official to discuss releasing Austin Tice.

2012: Joined Department of Justice

In 2012, Kash Patel began working as a junior staff member at the Department of Justice.

2013: Assigned to National Security Division

By 2013, Kash Patel had been assigned to the National Security Division as a prosecutor.

January 2014: Took 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.

2014: Worked in Counterterrorism Division

In 2014, Kash Patel began working in the Counterterrorism Division of the Department of Justice.

2016: Investigated Russian Interference

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

2016: Department's Response to Presidential Election

In 2016, Patel later stated that the impetus for his leaving the Department of Justice in 2017 was the department's response to the 2016 presidential election.

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".

April 2017: Began Working for House Intelligence Committee

In April 2017, Kash Patel began working for the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, led by Devin Nunes.

2017: Senior Aide to Devin Nunes

In 2017, Kash Patel became a senior aide to Devin Nunes, the chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

2017: Disappearance of Majd Kamalmaz

In 2017, Majd Kamalmaz, a Syrian-American therapist disappeared. Later, Patel met with an unnamed Syrian official to discuss releasing Majd Kamalmaz.

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.

2017: Left Department of Justice

Kash Patel left the Department of Justice in 2017, later stating that the impetus was the department's response to the 2016 presidential election.

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".

February 2019: Joined National Security Council

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

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.

February 2020: Senior Advisor to Richard Grenell

In February 2020, Politico reported that Kash Patel had become a senior advisor to Richard Grenell, the acting director of national intelligence.

August 2020: Traveled to Damascus

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

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: Left Office and Pursued Business Ventures

In January 2021, after Donald Trump left office, Kash Patel began promoting business ventures and made appearances on podcasts.

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: Host of Kash's Corner on EpochTV

From 2021 to 2023, Kash Patel was the host of Kash's Corner, a show on EpochTV, a streaming service operated by The Epoch Times.

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: Interview with Trump on Kash's Corner

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

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.

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

In April 2022, Kash 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.

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.

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: Children's Book Publications

In 2022, Kash Patel published "The Plot Against the King", a storybook about the Steele dossier, through Brave Books, and also wrote "The Plot Against the King: 2000 Mules".

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: Host of Kash's Corner on EpochTV

From 2021 to 2023, Kash Patel was the host of Kash's Corner, a show on EpochTV, a streaming service operated by The Epoch Times.

2023: Advocating for FBI Reform on Kash's Corner

2023: Publication of "Government Gangsters"

In 2023, Kash Patel stated in his memoir, "Government Gangsters", that he had been offered to join the trial team against Ahmed Abu Khattala, a militia leader in the Libyan civil war.

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

Check it on Amazon

May 2024: Intelligence Obtained on Majd Kamalmaz's Death

In May 2024, U.S. national security officials told Majd Kamalmaz's family that they had obtained intelligence indicating he had died in captivity. Kamalmaz disappeared in 2017.

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

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

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: Nomination for FBI Director

In November 2024, Donald Trump announced that he would nominate Kash Patel as the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

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.

2024: Release of 'The Plot Against the King 3: 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 was a consultant for Elite Depot, a company based in the Cayman Islands that operates Shein, an e-commerce platform.