What Kash Patel's former colleagues are saying about him

Kash Patel, a national security and intelligence expert, has been nominated by President-elect Trump to succeed as the FBI director.

Patel's experience includes personally carrying out dangerous missions in the Middle East to bring home U.S. hostages and implementing counterterrorism strategies against America's most-wanted terrorists. According to current and former U.S. national security officials and lawmakers, when evaluating his résumé objectively, Patel is considered one of the most experienced individuals ever to be nominated to lead the bureau.

During the first Trump administration, Patel held the position of deputy assistant to Trump and senior director for counterterrorism. In this capacity, Patel was involved in presidential missions aimed at eliminating Al-Qaeda senior leadership and ISIS command and control. Notably, Patel played a key role in the planning of the mission to eliminate Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi.

Patel was involved in efforts to bring some of the most-wanted terrorists to the U.S. for prosecution and worked on Trump administration efforts to return dozens of U.S. hostages back home.

"As national security adviser, Robert O'Brien had Kash as his senior director for counterterrorism. Kash was in charge of all interagency actions against ISIS, Al-Qaeda, and other terrorist organizations. Additionally, Kash was responsible for hostage rescues and excelled in both areas."

Patel's "tremendous personal bravery" in dealing with Austin Tice, a hostage held by the Syrian government for over 12 years, was remembered by O'Brien.

In 2020, O'Brien stated that the Syrians had agreed to allow an American to participate in negotiations, and he inquired if Kash Patel and Amb. Roger Carstens would be willing to attend.

"O'Brien stated that he desired someone from the White House, not just representatives from the State Department. Kash was the White House's representative, and they traveled overland from Beirut to Damascus through territory where the Al Nusra Front, Al-Qaeda, ISIS, and Hezbollah were all present. The situation was complex, and they drove all the way to Damascus to meet with the head of Assad's intelligence service."

O'Brien stated that the Syrians could have easily captured Kash and Roger as hostages.

O'Brien stated that he had never heard Kash recount war stories about the mission to rescue an American fellow.

He added: "To anyone who criticizes Kash Patel's character without knowing the full story, I would ask: have you ever done something dangerous to save a stranger?"

Trump's selection of Patel as FBI Director has been criticized by some, including McCabe and others who claim he lacks the necessary qualifications.

Those attacks are entirely politically motivated because O'Brien and others support the president's America First agenda.

"In the past, Democrats would have cheered for a president who appointed someone with criminal defense experience and opposed FBI surveillance of American citizens. However, that was a different Democrat party," O'Brien stated.

Patel's counterterrorism work was not his only responsibility; he was also deeply involved in the U.S. strategy to counter Chinese, Russian, Iranian, and North Korean efforts against U.S. interests. Additionally, he played a key role in implementing multimillion-dollar sanctions against foreign adversaries.

Victoria Coates, a former deputy national security adviser to Trump and vice president for national security at the Heritage Foundation, stated that Patel was a "strong colleague" at the National Security Council (NSC) and "comprehends the vital component of our national security framework."

""Four years of Biden-Harris mismanagement have led to the need for a strong hand at the FBI to keep the American people safe. Instead of a director who spends all their time testifying to Congress about red lights, we will have one who will take action to put them out," Coates said."

As the principal deputy to the acting DNI Ric Grenell in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), Patel assisted former Director John Ratcliffe in transitioning into his role. Trump recently nominated Ratcliffe to serve as the director of the CIA.

At ODNI, Patel focused intelligence collection against counter narcotic and transnational threats.

"Grenell stated that Kash brings a lot of passion to government service because he has experienced firsthand the corrupt practices of elites who manipulate the system to maintain their power and control over Americans."

"To bring change to Washington's entrenched ways, it takes bravery, and those outside of the city must stop relying on Washington insiders to deliver reform. They will never change themselves."

Before joining the Trump administration, Patel was the national security adviser and senior counsel for counterterrorism to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

Patel served as the head investigator for the committee's examination into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. During his investigation, he spearheaded the effort to expose FISA abuse and unveiled the FBI and DOJ's unlawful surveillance of Americans, including members of the 2016 Trump campaign, in federal court.

KT McFarland, former Trump White House deputy national security adviser, stated that the greatest advantage of Kash is his prior government experience and his crucial role in exposing Russiagate, which makes him immune to bureaucratic manipulation.

"Bureaucrats in the intelligence community often conceal their errors and misconduct by invoking the "sources and methods" defense. They also delay de-classification efforts and internal probes. New officials to the intel bureaucracy are often taken in by this tactic, but Kash won't be fooled."

McFarland stated that critics of Patel are incorrect in their claim that he will "seek revenge."

""By declassifying these documents, Kash can expose the paper trail of government bureaucrats and reveal whether they have abused their power with a two-tier system of justice, where they prosecute their political opponents and protect their allies," she said."

For 16 years, Patel, a lawyer, has served as a public defender and national security prosecutor at the Justice Department, trying numerous complex criminal cases.

As the chief of staff at the Department of Defense, his final role in the Trump administration was to serve.

According to Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, Kash Patel is the ideal candidate for the job.

When serving as one of Devin Nunes' top staffers on the House Intelligence Committee, Jordan closely collaborated with Patel.

"He did an outstanding job," Jordan said.

On Capitol Hill, Sen.-elect Jim Banks, R-Ind., predicted that Patel would bring change to the FBI.

"He has my support and vote for confirmation," said Banks.