Kash Patel takes over FBI: Who is Indian-origin Trump loyalist and why are democrats sounding alarm?

The Senate on Thursday narrowly confirmed Indian-origin Kash Patel as the next director of the FBI, elevating the outspoken Trump ally to lead the nation’s top law enforcement agency despite intense Democratic opposition and concerns over the bureau’s future independence.

Patel was confirmed by a 51-49 vote, with all Democrats and two moderate Republicans—Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska—opposing his nomination. He takes over an agency at the centre of political battles over law enforcement, national security, and investigations related to President Donald Trump.

“Mr. Patel wants to make the FBI accountable once again—get back the reputation that the FBI has had historically for law enforcement,” Senator Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said before the vote. “He wants to hold the FBI accountable to Congress, to the president, and, most importantly, to the American people.”

Democrats, however, have criticised Patel as unqualified, citing his deep political ties to Trump and incendiary statements about retribution against political opponents.

“I cannot imagine a worse choice,” said Senator Dick Durbin. “This vote will haunt anyone who votes for him. They will rue the day they did it.”

Kash Patel - a polarising figure takes charge

Kash Patel, 44, has long been one of Trump’s most vocal defenders and critics of the Justice Department and FBI. He played key roles in several Trump-era investigations, including efforts to discredit the FBI’s probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election. His past statements, in which he referred to FBI agents involved in the investigation as “criminal gangsters” and suggested turning FBI headquarters into a museum for the “deep state,” have fueled Democratic concerns that he will politicise the bureau.

Patel’s confirmation comes amid a broader shake-up at the FBI. Since Trump’s return to office, at least 75 Justice Department and FBI officials have either resigned, been fired, or reassigned. The administration has also sought names of agents involved in investigations related to the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol, raising fears of a political purge.

Unprecedented departure from FBI norms

The FBI directors are given a ten-year term as a way to insulate the agency from political influence. Patel replaces Christopher Wray, a Trump appointee who had led the bureau since 2017 but resigned before Trump took office for a second term. Since Wray’s departure, the FBI has been led by interim directors who have clashed with the Justice Department over demands for agent information related to past investigations.

Trump and Patel’s supporters argue that the FBI has been weaponised against conservatives and needs reform.

“The politicization of our justice system has eroded public trust—but that ends today,” Patel wrote on X following his confirmation. “My mission as Director is clear: let good cops be cops—and rebuild trust in the FBI.”

Career rooted in national security and Trumpworld

A former federal prosecutor, Patel first gained prominence as a Republican staffer on the House Intelligence Committee, where he played a central role in efforts to challenge the FBI’s Russia probe. He later served in Trump administration roles, including as a counterterrorism official at the National Security Council and as chief of staff to the acting secretary of defense.

He also played a role in the Trump administration’s efforts to declassify sensitive documents related to investigations of the former president.

Patel’s confirmation signals a new era for the FBI, one in which political oversight and internal restructuring may redefine the agency’s role.