Kash Patel, President Trump’s nominee to head the FBI, spent her time in various national security roles in Trump’s first administration building a brand promoting pro-Trump conspiracy theories.
Juana Summers, host:
Kash Patel, who was nominated by President-elect Trump to head the FBI, held several national security positions during the first Trump administration. He also built a brand promoting pro-Trump conspiracy theories, bringing with him money and influence. As NPR’s Lisa Hagen reports, these stories inspired Trump’s public threats to attack people he considers his enemies.
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LISA HAGEN, BYLINE: You’re listening to a music video promoting a children’s book written by Kash Patel. It’s a story about a deep state conspiracy against a noble hero named King Donald.
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UNIDENTIFIED SINGER: (Singing) A conspiracy against the king. A conspiracy against the king.
Hagen: The children’s book “The Plot Against The King” is a trilogy about a wizard named Kash who helps King Donald defeat characters like Hilary Queenton and Comma La La La. Patel began his career as a public defender and later became a federal prosecutor. During President Trump’s first term, Patel gained attention for her work as a congressional aide defending the president. He went on to hold several national security positions. Trump’s transition team says that’s why Patel is “more than qualified to serve as FBI director.” Patel did not respond to NPR’s request for an interview. He wrote another book, this one for adults. It’s called “Government Gangsters,” a phrase he explains in the trailer for the documentary film adaptation of the book.
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Kash Patel: Government gangs are groups of individuals who are career bureaucrats appointed to every agency and department of the United States government by what we call the deep state.
HAGEN: Russell Muirhead says the deep state is one of Patel’s main talking points. He teaches political science at Dartmouth College and studies the impact of conspiracy theories on democracy.
Russell Muirhead: A deep state conspiracy refers to the idea that a large number of government officials are actually against the president and want to thwart him and disempower his voters and his movement. .
HAGEN: Muirhead says that whether anyone believes it or not, deep state thinking serves to justify projects to neutralize or disrupt parts of the government that don’t submit to Trump’s will. I am. The deep state is also a key feature of modern pro-Trump conspiracy theories, including QAnon. The deep state claims to be working with a cabal of pedophile elites to secretly traffic children and consume their blood. Many QAnon believers are looking forward to a “storm” that they predict will include mass arrests and punishments of cabal and deep state members. Here’s Patel in 2022 talking to pro-Trump influencer Mary Grace.
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Patel: You know, Q is movement. Many people get attached to it. I don’t agree with many of the arguments of that movement, but I agree with many of the arguments of that movement.
HAGEN: Asked for clarification, a spokesperson for Trump’s transition team said, “This is a pathetic attempt to commit crimes by association.” Although Patel tends not to focus on the pedophile part of the Q belief system, he has appeared as a guest on at least a dozen podcasts promoting QAnon content and related conspiracy theories. Muirhead again.
Muirhead: He certainly seems willing to embrace a series of conspiratorial claims that are associated with or define Donald Trump, and he seems willing to embrace QAnon. It brings him to an audience of sympathetic listeners and watchers.
HAGEN: Patel uses his exposure to sell products, with at least some of the proceeds going to charity. Kash brand wines and others spell the S with a dollar sign and include supplements that claim to counteract the supposed negative effects of coronavirus vaccines. Mr. Patel has also promoted false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from Mr. Trump, and last year promised revenge.
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Patel: We seek out conspirators not only in the government but also in the media. Yes, we will go after media members who lied about the American people and helped Joe Biden rig the presidential election. we will follow you.
Hagen: That was when he appeared on former Trump adviser Steve Bannon’s talk show. Mr. Patel has sued journalists for defamation and recently threatened to sue the former Trump over his claims that Mr. Trump was unfit to lead the FBI. Charles Kupperman, Trump’s former national security adviser, said he did not vote for either candidate in the last election. Kupperman told NPR that he didn’t trust Patel when he and Patel disagreed on the National Security Council. The FBI has traditionally operated independently of the president, but Kupperman now has concerns…
Charles Kupperman: Kash will be a propagandist for Donald Trump. He intends to carry out all orders from the White House, and if confirmed by the FBI, he will have the opportunity to exact retaliation against individuals. And it doesn’t make for a pretty photo.
HAGEN: President Trump’s press secretary tells NPR that as FBI director, Kash Patel will end the weaponization of the FBI. Lisa Hagen, NPR News.
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