Kash Patel was formally inaugurated as the ninth Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on February 21, taking his oath on the Bhagavad Gita during a ceremony held at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, with his family and girlfriend present to support him. The oath was administered by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, following Patel’s confirmation by the U.S. Senate, which approved him with a narrow 51-49 vote. In his address, Patel reflected on his experiences as a first-generation Indian American and underscored the importance of the “American Dream.” He remarked, “Anyone who thinks the American Dream is dead, look right here. You’re talking to a first-generation Indian kid who is about to lead the law enforcement community in the greatest nation on God’s Earth.”
After the ceremony, he honored the memory of agents who lost their lives in the line of duty by visiting the Wall of Honor at FBI headquarters.In his ancestral village of Bhadran in Gujarat’s Anand district, his distant relative Yash Patel expressed pride in his appointment, noting that the entire village was celebrating this significant achievement. The White House also praised Patel’s confirmation, describing it as a move towards restoring integrity and reinforcing the rule of law, stating that “The FBI will serve the American people and refocus on its core mission: enforcing justice fairly and without bias.”
