History of Kash Patel in Timeline

Kashyap Pramod Patel is an American lawyer and former federal prosecutor. As of 2025, he is the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He also briefly served as acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives during February and April 2025.

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Full Timeline Career & Achievements Controversies & Scandals

1972: Ethnic Persecution and Expulsion of Patels from Uganda

In 1972, Pramod Patel, Kash Patel's father, and other Ugandans of Gujarati Indian descent faced ethnic persecution and were expelled by Ugandan dictator Idi Amin.

February 25, 1980: Kash Patel's Birth

On February 25, 1980, Kashyap Pramod Patel was born.

Others born on this day/year

2002: Graduation from University of Richmond

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

2003: Participation in Judicial Intern Opportunity Program

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

2005: Graduation from Pace University School of Law

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

2012: Started Working at the Department of Justice

In 2012, Kash Patel began working as a junior staff member at the Department of Justice, coordinating with judges for arrest warrant approvals.

2012: Temporary Representation on the 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 was later removed due to disagreements.

2012: Capture of Austin Tice

In October 2020, it was reported that Kash Patel had met with an unnamed Syrian official to discuss releasing Austin Tice, an American journalist who was captured in 2012.

2013: Assigned to National Security Division

By 2013, Kash Patel had been assigned to the National Security Division as a prosecutor, concurrently serving as a legal liaison for the Joint Special Operations Command.

January 2014: Junior Position in the Counterterrorism Division

In January 2014, Kash Patel took a junior position in the Counterterrorism Division.

2016: FBI Investigation into Trump's Campaign

In 2016, the FBI began an investigation into Donald Trump's presidential campaign, which Kash Patel later addressed in his 2023 memoir, "Government Gangsters."

2016: Investigation of Russian Interference in US Elections

In April 2017, As an aide to Nunes, Patel investigated the theory that Ukrainians were promulgating information about Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections.

2016: Impetus for Departure from DOJ

Kash Patel later said that the impetus for his departure from the Department of Justice in 2017 had been the department's response to the 2016 presidential election.

April 2017: Joined House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence

In April 2017, Kash Patel began working for the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, led by Representative Devin Nunes, investigating the theory that Ukrainians were promulgating information about Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections.

2017: Departure from the Department of Justice

In 2017, Kash Patel left the Department of Justice.

2017: Disappearance of Majd Kamalmaz

In October 2020, it was reported that Kash Patel had met with an unnamed Syrian official to discuss releasing Majd Kamalmaz, a Syrian-American therapist who disappeared in 2017.

April 2018: Inquiry about travel to London

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

2018: QAnon Post

In 2018, a post by Q, an anonymous figure in the QAnon conspiracy theory, mentioned Kash Patel, stating, "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.

April 2019: Shifted work to Ukraine

In April 2019, Kash Patel shifted his work to Ukraine amid an effort by Rudy Giuliani to discredit evidence against Paul Manafort.

July 2019: Appointed Senior Director of the Counterterrorism Directorate

In July 2019, Kash Patel was appointed as senior director of the counterterrorism directorate of the National Security Council (NSC).

October 2019: Filed 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.

February 2020: Advisor to Richard Grenell

In February 2020, Kash Patel become an advisor to Richard Grenell, the acting director of national intelligence, later becoming the principal deputy director of national intelligence.

August 2020: Traveled to Damascus

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

November 2020: Appointed Chief of Staff

In November 2020, Kash Patel was appointed as Christopher C. Miller's chief of staff at the Department of Defense after Trump dismissed Esper. Transition officials expressed distrust of Patel, viewing him as a Trump loyalist. Patel also supported a proposal to separate the National Security Agency from United States Cyber Command.

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

In December 2020, Donald Trump sought to appoint Kash Patel as the deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), but CIA director Gina Haspel threatened to resign in response. Mark Milley confronted Mark Meadows about the potential appointment.

December 2020: Sued CNN for Defamation

In December 2020, Kash Patel sued CNN for defamation, seeking $50 million in damages.

2020: Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence

In 2020, Kash Patel became the principal deputy director of national intelligence until May, and then returned to the National Security Council. Also in November, he was named as the chief of staff to acting secretary of defense Christopher C. Miller.

2020: Promotion of Italygate Conspiracy Theory

In 2020, Kash Patel promoted Italygate, a conspiracy theory alleging Italian interference in the 2020 presidential election. Christopher C. Miller, the acting secretary of defense, was informed and requested an investigation.

2020: Promoted Conspiracy Theories

In 2020, Patel began promoting 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: Argued FBI should be Distanced from Washington D.C.

In 2020, Patel has conformed to Trump's view that the Federal Bureau of Investigation has become politicized and argued that the bureau should be distanced from Washington, D.C., citing James Comey's handling of the FBI investigation into the Hillary Clinton email controversy.

2020: Senate Committee on the Judiciary on January 30

In 2020, The Judiciary Committee voted to advance his nomination 12–10 along party lines.

2020: Examination Into Trump's Efforts to Invoke the Insurrection Act and Declare Martial Law

In 2020, the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack requested Patel's communications relating to Trump's efforts to invoke the Insurrection Act and declare martial law to overturn the 2020 election.

January 2021: Leveraged Association with Trump

After Trump left office in January 2021, Kash Patel leveraged his association with Trump to promote business ventures and made appearances on podcasts.

September 2021: Subpoenaed by House Select Committee

In September 2021, Kash Patel was subpoenaed by the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack and requested to submit to questioning regarding communications related to martial law and the Insurrection Act. Patel decided to communicate with the committee.

2021: Hosted Kash's Corner

From 2021, Patel was the host of Kash's Corner, a show on EpochTV.

2021: Lawyers Moved to Dismiss Defamation Lawsuits

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

2021: Managed Trishul Consulting Company and Founded The Kash Foundation

In 2021, after leaving office, Kash Patel managed Trishul, a consulting company, and founded The Kash Foundation, a nonprofit supporting participants in the January 6 Capitol attack.

February 2022: Interviewed Trump on Kash's Corner

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

February 2022: Claimed Clinton Lawyers Infiltrated Trump Servers

In February 2022, Kash Patel told Fox News that Hillary Clinton's lawyers had worked to "infiltrate" Trump Tower and White House servers, a claim that was used in a Fox News headline.

April 2022: Patel Advised Trump to Fire DOJ Officials

In April 2022, Kash Patel stated that he had advised Donald Trump to fire senior Department of Justice officials.

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

In April 2022, Kash Patel was listed as the director of Trump Media & Technology Group.

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: Trump Requests Patel Access to Administration Records

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

June 2022: Investigated Claims at Trump Media

In June 2022, Kash Patel was paid $130,000 to investigate claims of a toxic corporate culture at Trump Media & Technology Group.

October 2022: Patel Appears 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, pleading the Fifth Amendment during his first appearance.

October 2022: Met Alexis Wilkins

In October 2022, Kash Patel met Alexis Wilkins, a country singer, at an event as part of the ReAwaken America Tour.

2022: Involvement in QAnon and Views on Key Events

In 2022, Kash Patel expressed agreement with QAnon rhetoric surrounding the origin of SARS-CoV-2, the January 6 Capitol attack, and the impeachments of Donald Trump. He also signed copies of "The Plot Against the King" with a QAnon message and created the #FlannelFridays trend in 2022.

2022: Publication of Children's Books

In 2022, Kash Patel published "The Plot Against the King", a children's book about the Steele dossier, followed by "The Plot Against the King: 2000 Mules" in 2022.

January 2023: Began Dating Alexis Wilkins

In January 2023, Kash Patel began dating Alexis Wilkins, a country singer.

March 2023: Report Details Patel's Financial Support for Misinformation

In March 2023, a report detailed the testimony of two former FBI special agents who said they received financial support from Kash Patel for promoting misinformation about the January 6 Capitol attack. Patel also co-produced "Justice for All".

June 2023: Sued Jim Stewartson

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

October 2023: Designations Revoked

In October 2023, Kash Patel's designation for access to administration records was revoked.

December 2023: Vowed to Come After Media

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: 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 presents a false narrative about the FBI investigation into Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.

2023: Authored "Government Gangsters"

In 2023, Kash Patel's memoir, Government Gangsters, was published, calling for weakening civil service job protections.

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

Check it on Amazon

May 2024: Family of Majd Kamalmaz Informed of Death

In May 2024, U.S. national security officials told Kamalmaz's family that they had obtained intelligence indicating he had died in captivity. Patel was involved in a military operation to rescue hostages from Nigeria.

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

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

September 2024: Vowed to close FBI headquarters

In September 2024, Kash Patel vowed to close the J. Edgar Hoover Building, the FBI headquarters, and reopen it as a museum of the 'deep state'.

November 2024: Potential Appointment to FBI or DOJ

In November 2024, Donald Trump intended to appoint Kash Patel to a high-profile position in the Federal Bureau of Investigation or the Department of Justice. He was also considered as a potential nominee for director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

November 2024: Nominated as FBI Director

In November 2024, Trump announced that he would dismiss Wray as FBI director and nominate Patel as his replacement.

2024: Release of '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 worked as a consultant for Elite Depot, a company based in the Cayman Islands that operates Shein, an e-commerce platform.

January 2025: Appeared Before Senate Committee

In January 2025, Kash Patel appeared before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, where he was accused of perjury and faced conflict-of-interest questions.