‘Those Who Harm Americans…’: Kash Patel’s Warning After Becoming FBI Director
Indian-origin Kash Patel was confirmed by the US Senate as the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), making him one of the most high-profile appointees in the Trump cabinet.
Patel, 44, whose nomination sparked fierce but ultimately futile opposition from Democrats, was approved by a 51-49 vote. Two Republican senators, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, voted not to confirm Patel to head the 38,000-strong federal agency.
After he was approved as the FBI chief, Patel expressed gratitude to President Donald Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi for their “unwavering confidence and support”.
“The FBI has a storied legacy – from the ‘G-Men’ to safeguarding our nation in the wake of 9/11. The American people deserve an FBI that is transparent, accountable, and committed to justice. The politicisation of our justice system has eroded public trust – but that ends today,” he said on X.
Patel said his mission was to restore trust in the FBI and pledged to work alongside the dedicated men and women of the Bureau and partners to rebuild the agency of which the American people can be proud.
“And to those who seek to harm Americans – consider this your warning. We will hunt you down in every corner of this planet,” he said. “Mission First. America Always. Let’s get to work.”
Donald Trump’s Reaction To Kash Patel’s Senate Approval
Trump, who previously described Patel as an “America First Fighter”, gave his first reaction to his approval in the Senate. “Today we just had Kash Patel approved (as FBI Director),” he said during a press conference, while congratulating all appointees.
When Trump announced Patel as the FBI chief nominee, he said the Indian-origin man would stop the rising human and drug trafficking across the US borders. “Kash is a brilliant lawyer, investigator, and ‘America First’ fighter who has spent his career exposing corruption, defending Justice, and protecting the American People,” he said at the time.
While Democrats have forcefully opposed Patel’s nomination citing his ambitious plans and his past calls for retribution against Trump’s critics, Republican supporters argued he would reform an agency that has been hampered by a decline in public trust.
Democratic Senator Dick Durbin, in a Senate speech opposing Patel’s nomination, said he is “dangerously, politically extreme” and has “repeatedly expressed his intention to use our nation’s most important law enforcement agency to retaliate against his political enemies.”
However, Patel has denied having an “enemies list” and told the Senate Judiciary Committee he was merely interested in bringing lawbreakers to book. “All FBI employees will be protected against political retribution,” he said.
Who Is Kash Patel?
Kashyap Pramod Patel, also known as Kash Patel, was born in New York on February 25, 1980, to Gujarati immigrant parents from East Africa and pursued a career in law. In the first Trump administration, he held key positions at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Defence Department and has called for a “comprehensive housecleaning” of the Justice Department and the FBI.
Patel previously worked as a federal defender and a counterterrorism prosecutor for the Justice Department. He came to Trump’s attention during his first term. As a staff member on the House Intelligence Committee, he co-wrote a memo criticising the FBI’s investigation into possible links between Russia and Trump’s 2016 election campaign.
Patel then joined the Trump administration, working on counterterrorism for the National Security Council and serving as chief of staff to the defence secretary.
