Kashyap Pramod Vinod "Kash" Patel is an American attorney and former government official who was nominated by Donald Trump to be the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) during a potential second Trump presidency. He held several significant positions in the Trump administration, including serving on the National Security Council, acting as a senior advisor to the acting Director of National Intelligence, and chief of staff to the acting Secretary of Defense.
February 25, 1980: Birth of Kash Patel
Kashyap Pramod Vinod "Kash" Patel was born on February 25, 1980.
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1980: Birth and Early Life
Kash Patel was born in 1980 in Garden City, New York to Gujarati Indian parents.
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2002: University of Richmond Graduation
Patel graduated from the University of Richmond with degrees in criminal justice and history in 2002.
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2004: International Law Certificate
Patel received a certificate in international law from University College London in 2004.
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2005: Career as Public Defender
After graduating law school in 2005, Patel began working as a public defender in Florida.
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2005: Pace University Law Degree
Patel earned a Juris Doctor from Pace University School of Law in 2005.
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2014: Patel Withdraws from Bachelor Auction
In 2014, Kash Patel withdrew from a bachelor auction for charity after it was revealed that his Florida law license had expired.
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2014: Department of Justice and JSOC
In 2014, Patel joined the US Department of Justice's National Security Division as a trial attorney and served as a legal liaison to the Joint Special Operations Command.
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2016: Role in 2016 Election Investigation
In 2016, Patel played a key role in assisting Republicans during investigations concerning Trump and Russian interference in the election.
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2016: Involvement in Trump-Russia Investigation
Patel was involved in the Republican opposition to investigations into Donald Trump and Russian interference in the 2016 election.
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2016: Russian Interference in the 2016 US Elections
The 2016 US presidential election was marked by allegations of Russian interference, which became the subject of investigations and Patel's children's book.
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April 2017: Senior Aide to Devin Nunes
In April 2017, Patel became senior committee aide to House Intelligence Committee chair Devin Nunes.
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2017: House Intelligence Committee Appointment
Patel was appointed senior counsel on counterterrorism at the House Intelligence Committee in 2017.
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2018: Authorship of the Nunes Memo
In 2018, Patel was reportedly the primary author of the Nunes memo, which alleged FBI misconduct related to the investigation into Trump and Russia.
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January 2019: House Reform and Oversight Committee
After Democrats took control of the House in January 2019, Patel briefly worked as senior counsel at the House Reform and Oversight Committee.
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February 2019: National Security Council Staffer
Patel joined President Trump's National Security Council (NSC) staff in February 2019.
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May 10, 2019: Phone Call with Giuliani
Patel and Giuliani had a 25-minute phone call on May 10, 2019, which came under scrutiny during investigations.
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July 2019: Counterterrorism Directorate Director
Patel became the Senior Director of the Counterterrorism Directorate, a newly created position, in July 2019.
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December 3, 2019: House Intelligence Committee Report and Phone Records
On December 3, 2019, the House Intelligence Committee report revealed phone records showing a call between Patel and Giuliani on May 10, 2019.
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December 4, 2019: Denial of Involvement in Ukraine Back-Channel
On December 4, 2019, Patel denied involvement in Giuliani's Ukraine back-channel, stating the call was "personal".
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February 2020: Move to ODNI and Trip to India
In February 2020, Patel moved to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and was part of Trump's entourage during a state visit to India.
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November 2020: Blocking Biden Transition and Supporting NSA/Cyber Command Separation
After the November 2020 election, Patel reportedly obstructed some Department of Defense officials from assisting the Biden administration's transition and supported separating the National Security Agency from U.S. Cyber Command.
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November 2020: Chief of Staff to Acting Secretary of Defense
Following Trump's firing of Mark Esper, Patel was appointed chief of staff to Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher C. Miller in November 2020.
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2020: Kash Patel Funds "Whistleblower Campaigns"
In 2020, Kash Patel claimed to have funded "whistleblower campaigns." These campaigns were later criticized by Democrats for allegedly supporting conspiracy theories related to the January 6th Capitol attack and the 2020 election results.
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2020: Mission to Damascus
In early 2020, Patel led a secret mission to Damascus to negotiate the release of hostages held by the Syrian government.
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2020: Kash Patel Launches "K$H" Brand
Starting in 2020, Kash Patel began using his association with Donald Trump in ventures promoted under the "K$H" logo.
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January 2021: Consideration for CIA Director
In January 2021, Trump reportedly considered appointing Patel as Acting Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
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2021: NARA Discovers Missing Presidential Documents
In 2021, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) discovered that former President Trump had taken presidential documents, including classified materials, to his Florida residence after leaving office. This discovery triggered an investigation involving NARA, the FBI, and ultimately a federal grand jury.
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2021: Consideration for FBI Deputy Director
Trump also considered Patel for the role of FBI deputy director in early 2021, which faced opposition.
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April 2022: Kash Patel Joins Trump Media & Technology Group Board
In April 2022, Kash Patel joined the board of directors of the Trump Media & Technology Group, the owner of Truth Social.
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May 2022: "The Plot Against the King" Published
Kash Patel's children's book, "The Plot Against the King," was published in May 2022. The book alleges that the Steele dossier was used to initiate investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 US elections.
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June 19, 2022: Trump Appoints Patel as Representative for Presidential Records
On June 19, 2022, Donald Trump appointed Kash Patel and John Solomon as his representatives for access to presidential records held by the National Archives.
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October 2022: Kash Patel Summoned by Grand Jury
In October 2022, Kash Patel was summoned to testify before a federal grand jury investigating the handling of classified documents taken by Trump after leaving office.
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November 4, 2022: Kash Patel Testifies Before Grand Jury
On November 4, 2022, Kash Patel testified before a federal grand jury after being granted immunity. This followed his initial refusal to answer questions, invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, regarding the investigation into Trump's handling of classified documents.
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December 2023: Patel Discusses Trump's Potential Retaliation on Bannon's Podcast
During a December 2023 appearance on Steve Bannon's "War Room" podcast, Kash Patel agreed with Bannon's assertion that Donald Trump is serious about seeking revenge against his political opponents if re-elected in 2024.
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November 2024: Nomination for FBI Director
In November 2024, Trump nominated Patel to replace Christopher A. Wray as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
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2024: Trump's Potential Re-election Bid
Donald Trump's potential re-election bid in 2024 was discussed by Kash Patel and Steve Bannon in December 2023, including the possibility of Trump seeking retribution against political rivals.
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