Who is Kash Patel, Donald Trump's new FBI director?

The US Senate on Thursday narrowly confirmed Kash Patel to lead the FBI, officially adding another loyalist and accused conspiracy theorist into President Donald Trump's cabinet.

In a 51-49 vote, the Senate confirmed Mr Patel largely along party lines. Republican Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski defected and joined the Democrats in opposition to Mr Trump's controversial choice.

Mr Patel, now overseeing one of the largest US law-enforcement agencies, has raised alarm over his loyalty to Mr Trump, a convicted felon, at a moment that has seen the US President take sweeping steps to consolidate executive power.

Ms Collins said in a statement that his public persona, including a controversial book, has “cast doubt on Mr Patel’s ability to advance the FBI’s law-enforcement mission in a way that is free from the appearance of political motivation".

Mr Patel, 44, is the son of Gujarati Indian parents. He was a public defender in Florida before becoming a lawyer for the Justice Department. He worked for the National Security Council during the first Trump administration, as deputy assistant to the President and senior director for counter-terrorism. Mr Patel was also an aide to the House intelligence Committee.

The President's pick for FBI chief has alarmed critics with his stance – in dozens of interviews and books he has written – in which he has assailed the decision-making of the agency he has now been asked to lead. He has also identified by name officials he believes should be investigated.

In a Thursday media conference outside the Justice Department, minority Democrats on the Senate judiciary committee condemned Mr Patel's looming confirmation.

“Kash Patel – mark my words – will cause evil in this building behind us, and Republicans who vote for him will rue that day,” Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse warned.

Before his nomination, Mr Patel railed against the FBI over its investigations into Mr Trump and claimed that rioters involved in the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol had been mistreated by the Justice Department.

During his confirmation hearing, however, Mr Patel vowed not to go after political enemies. “I have no interest nor desire and will not, if confirmed, go backwards … there will be no politicisation at the FBI. There will be no retributive actions taken by the FBI,” he said.

He has also said he did not agree with Mr Trump's decision to pardon all those involved in the riot. “I do not agree with the commutation of any sentence of any individual who committed violence against law enforcement,” Mr Patel said during his hearing.

He has often spouted conspiracy theories and has also been accused of supporting QAnon views. The movement, based on a series of online posts from an anonymous government official, pushes the idea that Mr Trump is waging a secret war against the “deep state”.

In one podcast interview last year, Mr Patel said that if he were in charge of the FBI, he would “shut down” the bureau’s headquarters on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington and “reopen it the next day as a museum of the ‘deep state'".

“And I’d take the 7,000 employees that work in that building and send them across America to go chase down criminals. Go be cops,” he said.

In a 2022 interview, he said “the Q thing” is a movement “a lot of people attach themselves to” and that “I disagree with a lot of what that movement says, but I agree with a lot of what that movement says”.

The confirmation followed former Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell announcing that he would not be seeking re-election in 2026. The seasoned US politician warned that if the Senate does not take its advisory and confirmation role seriously, it puts the nation at risk.

“When members of this body ignore, discount or pervert this fundamental duty, they do so not just at the peril of the Senate, but of the whole nation,” said Mr McConnell before Mr Patel's confirmation.