Kash Patel appointed as first Indian-origin FBI chief

Indian-origin Kash Patel, chosen by President Donald Trump, has been confirmed as the new Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Transcript

00:00And Kash Patel is the FBI chief for United States of America.

00:04It's official now.

00:05Of course, it was an appointment that Donald Trump had suggested, but there's a protocol

00:09as well.

00:10Kash Patel becomes the first Indian origin FBI chief.

00:13Remember, this is a big designation.

00:16He's been a Donald Trump loyalist and has now been confirmed as the FBI chief.

00:24Kash Patel has given out a statement as well and has said, thank you for your unwavering

00:30support and confidence.

00:33He said, I quote him here, my mission as director is clear, let good cops be cops and rebuild

00:37trust in the FBI.

00:38Remember, the Federal Bureau of Investigation is precisely one of the most important organizations

00:44when it comes to the United States of America for law and order and for ensuring safety

00:48and security.

00:49I want to bring in my colleague Shashank Bhatt to this morning on The First Up.

00:53Shashank, good morning.

00:54Tell us, Kash Patel was already, of course, a suggested appointment for this position.

01:00What's the protocol like and what does it mean for someone like Kash Patel, a name not

01:05as stereotypical American, to get this position?

01:09No, you're absolutely right.

01:12It is in many ways being seen as a breakout moment for Indian American politicians in

01:19the United States.

01:20You've seen them do well over the last couple of years, but especially in the Trump administration,

01:26you have, of course, Kash Patel do extremely well, Vivek Ramaswamy as well did extremely

01:31well in the Trump administration and rose to a high position.

01:36Of course, Kash Patel now is in a position of significant authority.

01:39The Federal Bureau of Investigation is really one of America's most important agencies responsible

01:45for counterintelligence, counterterrorism, protecting the United States from foreign

01:49intelligence threats.

01:50He also works very closely as part of the broader intelligence community, so Kash Patel

01:55works very closely with Lucy Gabbard, another politician in America who is of great interest

02:01to us here in India, so really one of the most powerful investigative agencies in the

02:06United States.

02:07And the fact that, you know, Kash Patel has gotten this sort of position shows that, you

02:11know, not only in elected office, but also at the highest levels of government, we're

02:15seeing Indian-Americans make their way into the hallways of power.

02:19They're here to stay now, the Indian-Americans, in terms of their power in Washington, D.C.

02:24It's big news, remember, and it's a big opportunity and responsibility also on his shoulders,

02:29the confidence that's been expressed by Donald Trump's administration.