This is what Kash Patel’s former colleagues are saying about him

President-elect Trump has nominated Kash Patel to be the subsequent FBI director, an individual with an in depth background in nationwide safety and intelligence. 

Patel’s expertise ranges from personally finishing up harmful missions within the Center East in an effort to deliver residence U.S. hostages to implementing counterterrorism methods in opposition to America’s most-wanted terrorists. Present and former U.S. nationwide safety officers and lawmakers say that when taking a look at his résumé “objectively,” he’s “one of the crucial skilled folks ever to be nominated” to steer the bureau. 

In the course of the first Trump administration, Patel served as a deputy assistant to Trump and as senior director for counterterrorism. In that position, Patel was concerned in presidential missions geared toward decimating Al-Qaeda senior management and ISIS command and management. Patel was concerned within the planning of the mission to take out Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, amongst others. 

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Kash Patel, a former chief of workers to then-acting Secretary of Protection Christopher Miller, speaks throughout a marketing campaign occasion for Republican candidates on the Whiskey Roads Restaurant & Bar in Tucson, Arizona, on July 31, 2022. (Brandon Bell/Getty Pictures)

Patel additionally was concerned in efforts to deliver among the most-wanted terrorists to the U.S. for prosecution, and labored on Trump administration efforts to return dozens of U.S. hostages again residence.

“When I used to be nationwide safety adviser, Kash was my senior director for counterterrorism. He was answerable for all interagency actions in opposition to ISIS, Al-Qaeda and different terrorist organizations,” former White Home nationwide safety adviser Robert O’Brien advised Fox Information Digital. “He was additionally answerable for hostage rescues, and he did a terrific job on each fronts.” 

O’Brien recalled Patel’s “super private bravery” with regard to Austin Tice, a hostage who has been held presumably by the Syrian authorities for greater than 12 years. 

In 2020, O’Brien mentioned Syrians “lastly agreed to let an American are available for negotiations and I requested Kash Patel and Amb. Roger Carstens if they’d go.” 

White Home nationwide safety adviser Robert O’Brien speaks throughout a turnover ceremony of protection articles on the Division of International Affairs workplace in Manila, Philippines, on Nov. 23, 2020. (Eloisa Lopez/POOL/AFP through Getty Pictures)

“I needed somebody from the White Home, so it wasn’t simply representatives of the State Division. Kash was the White Home’s man,” O’Brien mentioned. “They traveled overland from Beirut to Damascus by means of territory the place the Al Nusra Entrance, Al-Qaeda, ISIS and Hezbollah have been all current. It was a really complicated state of affairs. They drove all the way in which to Damascus to satisfy with the pinnacle of Assad’s intelligence service.” 

O’Brien mentioned the “Syrians themselves may simply have taken Kash and Roger hostage.” 

“I’ve by no means heard Kash discuss or inform battle tales about that mission to attempt to save a fellow American,” O’Brien mentioned. 

He added: “I might say to anybody who ignorantly criticizes Kash Patel’s character, inform me the final time you probably did one thing harmful to attempt to save a stranger.”

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Not everybody shared O’Brien’s rosy illustration of Patel. Fired FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe and others have blasted Trump’s choose of Patel, claiming he’s unqualified. 

However O’Brien and others say these assaults “are fully politically motivated as a result of he helps the president’s America First agenda.” 

“There was a time when Democrats would have applauded a president for appointing somebody with legal protection expertise and who’s in opposition to the FBI surveilling Americans — however that was a really completely different Democrat get together,” O’Brien mentioned. 

Past his counterterrorism work, Patel was closely concerned in U.S. technique to counter Chinese language, Russian, Iranian and North Korean efforts in opposition to U.S. pursuits. He additionally labored on the implementation of multimillion-dollar sanctions in opposition to international adversaries. 

Victoria Coates, a former deputy nationwide safety adviser to Trump and vp for nationwide safety on the Heritage Basis, mentioned that Patel was a “sturdy colleague” on the Nationwide Safety Council (NSC) and “understands that important piece of our nationwide safety structure.” 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation seal exterior headquarters in Washington, D.C., on July 3, 2023. (Celal Güneş/Anadolu Company through Getty Pictures)

“After 4 years of Biden-Harris mismanagement, he would be the sturdy hand the FBI must hold the American folks protected,” Coates mentioned. “As an alternative of a director who spends all his time testifying to Congress about all of the purple lights he sees flashing throughout the dashboard, we may have one who will do one thing to really put them out.” 

Previous to working as a deputy to Trump and within the NSC, Patel labored within the Workplace of the Director of Nationwide Intelligence (ODNI) because the principal deputy to the appearing DNI Ric Grenell and helped former Director John Ratcliffe transition into the position. Trump nominated Ratcliffe final month to function the director of the CIA.  

At ODNI, Patel additionally labored to focus intelligence assortment in opposition to counter narcotic and transnational threats. 

“Kash brings lots of ardour to authorities service as a result of he has seen what corruption is like from the within,” Grenell mentioned. “He’s a first-generation American who is aware of how elites manipulate the system so they preserve energy and management over Individuals.” 

“Reforming Washington and its insular methods requires braveness,” Grenell continued. “These of us exterior of Washington who need reform should cease anticipating those that stay and work in Washington to ship reform. They’re by no means going to reform themselves.” 

Former Performing Director of Nationwide Intelligence Ric Grenell. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Pictures)

Previous to becoming a member of the Trump administration, Patel served because the nationwide safety adviser and senior counsel for counterterrorism to the Home Everlasting Choose Committee on Intelligence. 

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Patel was the chief investigator for the committee’s probe into Russian interference within the 2016 presidential election. All through his investigation, he led the hassle to uncover FISA abuse and uncovered the FBI and the DOJ’s illegal actions earlier than federal court docket to illegally surveil Individuals, together with members of the 2016 Trump marketing campaign. 

“The very best factor about Kash is, due to his earlier authorities expertise and his key position in uncovering Russiagate, he gained’t be bamboozled by the paperwork,” mentioned former Trump White Home deputy nationwide safety adviser KT McFarland.

“Intelligence neighborhood bureaucrats cowl up their errors and malfeasance by hiding behind the ‘sources and strategies’ excuse. They slow-walk de-classification efforts and inner investigations. Most appointed officers new to intel paperwork fall for it — Kash gained’t.”

Former Trump White Home deputy nationwide safety adviser KT McFarland. (Al Drago/Bloomberg through Getty Pictures)

McFarland mentioned that critics of Patel declare that he’ll “search revenge,” however she declared that these critics “are mistaken.” 

“Keep in mind, authorities bureaucrats all the time go away a paper path of their actions,” she mentioned. “Kash can expose them by declassifying these paperwork after which letting the American folks resolve whether or not these anonymous, faceless FBI and DOJ bureaucrats have abused their energy with a two-tier system of justice — by prosecuting their political opponents and defending their allies.” 

Patel, a lawyer, served as a public defender and nationwide safety prosecutor on the Justice Division and tried scores of complicated legal instances. All advised, Patel has served within the U.S. authorities for 16 years. 

His remaining position within the Trump administration was serving because the chief of workers on the Division of Protection. 

Kash Patel speaks throughout a marketing campaign rally for former President Trump at Findlay Toyota Middle in Prescott Valley, Arizona, on Oct. 13. (Getty Pictures)

“Kash Patel is the correct man for the job,” Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, advised Fox Information Digital.

Jordan mentioned he labored intently with Patel when he served amongst then-Home Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes’ high staffers. 

“He did an excellent job,” Jordan mentioned. 

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And shortly to be on the opposite facet of Capitol Hill, Sen.-elect Jim Banks, R-Ind., advised Fox Information Digital that Patel “will shake up the FBI.” 

“He has my help and vote for affirmation,” mentioned Banks.