Trump aide greets Indian-origin new FBI chief Kash Patel in 'Bollywood' style
White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino on Friday congratulated Kash Patel, a Donald Trump loyalist, with a Ranveer Singh song.
Patel won the 100-seat US Senate vote with a narrow margin of 51-49 to secure the job. All Senate Democrats voted against him.
"Congratulations to the new Director of the FBI, @Kash_Patel," Scavino wrote in a post on X.
The Trump aide shared a dance clip on X of the song 'Malhari' from the movie 'Bajirao Mastani' featuring actor Ranveer Singh. In the video, Ranveer Singh's face had been edited and replaced with Kash Patel.
Sharing a post on X, Dan Scavino, Assistant to the President and White House Deputy Chief of Staff, wrote, "Moments ago in the Oval Office. Congratulations to the Ninth Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Kash Patel."
He added, "President Trump has officially signed the commission. Follow Kash on his new X account: @FBIDirectorKash.
The White House welcomed the confirmation of Kash Patel as the new FBI Director, describing it as an important step in executing President Donald Trump's agenda to restore integrity and uphold the rule of law.
The White House further emphasised that the FBI will now refocus on its core mission of enforcing justice fairly and without bias.
Sharing a post on X, the White House wrote, "@FBIDirectorKash Patel's confirmation as FBI Director is a crucial step in executing President Trump's agenda to restore integrity and uphold the rule of law."
"The FBI will serve the American people and refocus on its core mission: enforcing justice fairly and without bias," the post added.
Al Jazeera reported that Republican senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine joined 47 Democrats in opposing what critics have called a dangerous nomination to lead the FBI.
" Mr Patel's record demonstrates that he's dangerous, inexperienced and dishonest," Democratic Senator Dirk Durbin of Illinois said. "He should not and cannot serve as an effective FBI director."
Following his confirmation by the Senate as director of the FBI, Patel, an ally of President Trump, expressed his gratitude and vowed to rebuild the agency into one that is "transparent, accountable, and committed to justice."
Patel, 44, thanked President Donald Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi for their support and emphasised his commitment to restoring public trust in the FBI.
While the nomination faced opposition from Republican Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, Patel received backing from the rest of the Republican Party, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who had previously opposed other Trump nominees, according to NBC News.
"Kash is a brilliant lawyer, investigator, and 'America First' fighter who has spent his career exposing corruption, defending Justice, and protecting the American People," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
Kashyap Patel, of Nevada, to be Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation for a term of ten years, the nomination by Trump for the FBI director post read.
Trump tapped Patel to replace Christopher Wray, who the president nominated for a 10-year term during his first administration but effectively ousted in naming Patel as the successor before that term was completed, Politico reported.
Patel served as the former Chief of Staff to Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller.
Patel served as the Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Counterterrorism (CT) at the National Security Council (NSC). Patel oversaw the execution of several of President Donald J.
Trump's top priorities, including eliminating ISIS and Al-Qa'ida leadership such as al-Baghdadi and Qasem al-Rimi, and the safe repatriation of numerous American hostages. Patel also served as Principal Deputy to the Acting Director of National Intelligence, where he oversaw the operations of all 17 intelligence community agencies and provided the President's Daily Briefing.
According to his Department of Defence profile, Patel served as the former Chief of Staff to Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller and is responsible for leading the Secretary's mission at the Department, including his executive staff and providing counsel to the Secretary on all matters concerning the Department's operations.
Previously, Mr. Patel served as the Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Counterterrorism (CT) at the National Security Council (NSC). In that capacity, Mr. Patel oversaw the execution of several of President Donald J. Trump's top priorities, including eliminating ISIS and Al-Qa'ida leadership such as al-Baghdadi and Qasem al-Rimi, and the safe repatriation of numerous American hostages. Mr. Patel also served as Principal Deputy to the Acting Director of National Intelligence, where he oversaw the operations of all 17 intelligence community agencies and provided the President's Daily Briefing.
Before joining the NSC, Patel served as the National Security Advisor and Senior Counsel for the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI), where he spearheaded the investigation into the Russian active measures campaign to influence the 2016 presidential election. Concurrently, he oversaw sensitive programs for the Intelligence Community and US Special Operations Forces and worked to enact legislation to fully fund the multi-billion dollar budgets supporting intelligence and counterterrorism operations worldwide.
Patel began his career as a public defender, trying scores of complex cases ranging from murder, to narco-trafficking, to complex financial crimes in jury trials in state and federal courts.
Born in 1980 in New York to Gujarati parents who moved from Uganda to Canada and then to the US, Patel completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Richmond before returning to New York to earn his law degree, along with a Certificate in International Law from University College London Faculty of Laws in the United Kingdom.
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