Kash Patel is seen bowing down to touch the feet of his parents before the hearing.
Kashyap ‘Kash’ Patel, US President Donald Trump’s nomination for FBI director, greeted his parents with “Jai Shri Krishna” after presenting them on Thursday during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
In a now-viral video, the 44-year-old Indian-origin lawyer is also seen kneeling down to touch his parents’ feet before the court.
Enter Sandman @Kash_Patel pic.twitter.com/XbyRUThcKH
— Karli Bonne’ 🇺🇸 (@KarluskaP) January 30, 2025
“I would like to welcome my father and mother, Anjana, who are seated here today. They traveled here from India. My sister is also here. She also traveled across oceans to be with me here today. It means so much that you’re here. “Jai, Shri Krishna,” he said.
What Happened At US Senate Confirmation Hearing
While responding to Senator Lindsey Graham’s question about whether he has ever been subjected to racism as an individual, Mr Patel stated that he had been subjected to prejudice while growing up.
Unfortunately, Senator, yes. “I don’t want to go into those details with my family here,” he explained.
“I was called a horrible — and I apologize if I don’t get everything correctly, but it’s in the record — a detestable sand nigger who had no right to be in this nation. You should return to where you came from. You belong among your terrorist home pals. That is what was sent to me. That’s only a small part of it, but it pales in comparison to what law enforcement officers face on a daily basis,” Mr Patel added.
Who Is Kash Patel
Kash Patel was born in New York in 1980 to Gujarati parents and spent his childhood in East Africa. He graduated from Garden City High School on Long Island.
According to his Department of Defense profile, Mr Patel received his undergraduate degree from the University of Richmond before returning to New York to acquire his law degree and a diploma in International Law from the University College London Faculty of Laws in the United Kingdom.
Mr Patel has also worked as the National Security Advisor and Senior Counsel for the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI).
If confirmed, Kash Patel would become the FBI’s first Hindu and Indian American director.
