The FBI’s newest director has sparked an unprecedented firestorm within the bureau he was hand-picked to lead.
Kashyap ‘Kash’ Patel, 45, known for his close relationship with MAGA politics, has demanded sweeping loyalty tests and extensive vetting procedures for the agency’s staff, indicating the FBI’s latest leader may not fully trust the agency he was named to lead.
The FBI director, whose critics have branded him a conspiracy theorist, also inquired about hiring his own private security detail not long after his Senate confirmation in February, The Wall Street Journal reported.
As director, Patel is automatically assigned a team of FBI agents tasked with ensuring his safety, however, his latest request suggests that he is not willing to place his life in the hands of his very own agents.
The former prosecutor also inquired about how to get a secure phone line directly to the Oval Office from both his FBI office in Washington D.C. and his home, according to the Journal.
Patel reportedly claimed he did not wish to go through the FBI landline in his office, but instead a direct line to his ally, President Donald Trump.
Under the usual chain of command, the FBI director would contact the president through the Attorney General, like all FBI directors have since J. Edgar Hoover in 1929.
The indirect line of contact was allegedly installed to help maintain distance and demonstrate independence from the White House.
Kashyap ‘Kash’ Patel, 45, has demanded sweeping loyalty tests and extensive vetting procedures for the agency’s staff, indicating the FBI’s latest leader may not trust the agency he was named to lead
Patel, however, is a loyal ally of the President, serving as a national security advisor in Trump’s first administration
Patel, however, is a loyal ally of the president, serving as a national security advisor in his first administration.
‘Director Patel is aggressively working to deliver on removing criminals from our streets, restoring law and order, and ensuring agents have the resources they need to perform their duties effectively,’ FBI spokesperson Ben Williamson said.
‘We have absolutely zero interest in engaging with false leaks or distractions that undermine that mission,’ he added.
The New York-native was among Trump’s most controversial administration picks.
Patel, who was born in New York to Indian Gujarati immigrant parents, shockingly made it through the Senate vote even after every single Democratic senator, as well as two Republicans, voted against his confirmation.
Their reservation wasn’t just that Patel had a complete lack of experience at the FBI, but overwhelming concerns from critics suggested that the newly-appointed federal agent is a conspiracy theorist.
In 2022, the FBI Director authored a children’s picture book which pushed the claim that former President Joe Biden rigged the 2020 election against Trump.
Patel was also often known to label his political opposition and even the FBI as part of ‘the deep state’ – which refers to a body of people, typically influential members of government agencies or the military, believed to be involved in the secret manipulation or control of government policy – during his time serving as a commentator at The Epoch Times.
Patel, who was born in New York to Indian Gujarati immigrant parents, shockingly made it through the Senate vote even after every single Democratic senator, as well as two Republicans, voted against his confirmation
The FBI director, whose critics have branded him a conspiracy theorist, inquired about hiring his own private security detail not long after his Senate confirmation back in February, The Wall Street Journal reported. Pictured: The FBI headquarters building in Washington, D.C.
The Justice Department has also been trying to fire FBI agents who investigated Trump but has faced legal pushback, the Daily Beast reported. Pictured: Administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency Lee Zeldin, FBI Director Kash Patel and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth
He has also expressed a sympathetic attitude toward the QAnon movement, which claims that the Democratic Party is a ‘pedophilic cabal.’
Just last month, Patel was accused of spearheading the purge of senior FBI officials, even before his confirmation.
The Justice Department has also been trying to fire FBI agents who investigated Trump but has faced legal pushback, the Daily Beast reported.
Last week, Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi, another well-known Trump ally, enraged Trump’s supporters with a release of ‘Epstein files’ that offered no new information on the disgraced sex-offender.
