5 things to know about Kash Patel, Trump's pick to lead FBI

4. Worked for the Obama administration

Although best known for serving in the Trump administration, Patel also worked for the Executive Branch during the Obama administration. As outlined by the website Legistorm, which compiles the employment history of former and current United States congressional staffers, Patel served as a trial attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice National Security Division from 2014-2017. 

Trump touched upon Patel's experience as an attorney in his statement announcing Patel as his pick for FBI director, explaining how he “tried over 60 jury trials.” As highlighted in his biography on the DOJ website, Patel spent his tenure at the executive branch agency spearheading “investigations spanning multiple theaters of conflict and oversaw the successful prosecution of criminals aligned with Al-Qa'ida, ISIS, and other terror groups.”

Patel also acted as “the DOJ Liaison Officer to Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), working with our nation's most prestigious counterterrorism units to conduct collaborative global targeting operations against high value terrorism targets.”