Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the FBI, faces what could be a contentious confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, with questions expected over his experience level, brash rhetoric and concerns he would deploy the bureau to target the president’s foes.

Patel’s mother and father are Indian Gujarati immigrants who moved to Canada in the 1970s from Uganda, East Africa, after facing ethnic repression. They later moved to the U.S., and Patel’s father reportedly landed a job at an aviation firm working as a financial officer.

Kash Patel, nominee to be Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, testifies in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington, DC on January 30, 2025. Credit - Photo by Nathan Posner—Anadolu/ Getty Images)