Washington, DC: Kashyap ‘Kash’ Patel, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the FBI was spotted on Thursday touching the feet of his parents to take their blessings ahead of his confirmation hearing. He also greeted 'Jai Shri Krishna' to them while introducing his family at the hearing. The video went viral and Indian Americans lauded the young man for unaba
"My mother is originally from Tanzania. She studied in India, as did my dad and they were married there. They would later emigrate to New York, where I was born, and we were raised in a household of my father's seven siblings, their spouses, and at least half a dozen children," he said.
"That's the only way we knew how to do things at the time, in the '70s and '80s, the Indian way, but we would soon learn the American way," he added.
Patel told lawmakers that he had been subjected to racism while growing up. "Unfortunately, Senator, yes. I don't want to get into those details with my family here," he said while responding to a question from Senator Lindsey Graham if he had ever been subject to racism as an individual.
Patel has had a diverse career in law and national security. He started out as a public defender, trying complex cases ranging from murder to financial crimes in state and federal courts.
He later transitioned to the Department of Justice (DOJ) where he worked as a terrorism prosecutor, leading investigations and overseeing the prosecution of criminals aligned with Al-Qaeda and ISIS.
Patel gained national attention as a congressional aide to Rep. Devin Nunes in 2018. As the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, Nunes spearheaded efforts to discredit the FBI's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Patel played a pivotal role in drafting a classified memo that alleged FBI abuses of surveillance laws targeting Trump campaign advisers.
His career trajectory took him to roles on Trump's National Security Council in 2019 and later as chief of staff to the acting defence secretary during the final months of Trump's presidency.
The 44-year-old's vision includes declassifying extensive government secrets and revoking security clearances for individuals involved in past investigations of Trump.
