Kash Patel will appear before the US Senate Judiciary Committee on January 30 for his confirmation hearing to become the next Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Patel, 44, would make history as the first Indian American to lead the agency if confirmed.
The Senate Judiciary Committee announced the hearing on Thursday, officially titled “The Nomination of Kashyap Pramod Patel to be Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.” Patel, a prominent figure in the Trump administration, has been nominated by former President Donald Trump to replace Christopher Wray.
Patel, a former federal prosecutor, is known for his loyalty to Trump and his support of the former president’s policies. Speaking at an inauguration event for Trump earlier this week, Patel reflected on his personal journey and aspirations for the role.
“I love the American dream. My story’s pretty simple, it’s unique, and some of you share in it,” he said.
He shared that his parents were born and raised in East Africa and recounted his father’s escape from a genocidal dictatorship in Uganda during the 1970s.
“My father fled a genocidal dictatorship in Uganda, where he saw 300,000 of his countrymen murdered, where he saw what lawlessness would do if it was allowed to break through the system of constitutional justice,” Patel said.
After fleeing Uganda, his father married his mother, and the couple immigrated to the United States. “They waited in line. They stood in line because the American dream was worth standing in line for. That dream is woven into the fabric of this nation. And our immigration policy is the greatest in the world,” he said.
Patel emphasised the importance of action alongside dreams. “Dreams and hopes aren’t enough, and Americans have to get to work. We have got to accept the realities that too many of you know from your communities,” he said.
He also highlighted former President Trump’s priorities during his first term, including national security, law enforcement, the economy, and global diplomacy, while expressing a need to revisit and reinforce those policies. “My name is Kash Patel, and I ain’t going anywhere,” he concluded.
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