Summary

Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation who personally delivered the first classified FBI UAP document batch to the Department of War PURSUE committee on May 6, 2026 — two days before PURSUE Release 1 was published at war.gov/UFO. A Queens-born attorney and former federal public defender who became the chief investigator of the House Intelligence Committee under Rep. Devin Nunes, Patel gained national prominence for his Crossfire Hurricane investigation work before ascending through multiple senior national security roles under the Trump administration.

Roles

• -Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation (2025-present)
• -Former Chief of Staff, U.S. Department of Defense
• -Former Chief Investigator, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (2017-2019)

Organizations

Education

• -B.A., University of Richmond
• -J.D., Pace University School of Law

Early Career

• -Graduated from the University of Richmond and earned his law degree from Pace University School of Law; began his legal career as a federal public defender representing indigent clients in Florida federal courts
• -Transitioned from criminal defense to government service, joining the National Security Division of the Department of Justice and later the National Security Council as a counterterrorism official before moving to the legislative branch
• -Appointed chief investigator of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) under Chairman Devin Nunes in 2017; led the HPSCI investigation into the FBI's Crossfire Hurricane probe, producing the Nunes Memo that alleged FISA surveillance abuse

Related Primary Documents