Kash Patel mentions his beautiful girlfriend who held the Bhagavad Gita for him while he took oath
Kash Patel, an Indian-American, was formally sworn in as the new Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director on Friday.
Patel was narrowly confirmed in the position by a 51-49 vote in the US Senate.
This makes him one of the most influential appointees of the Trump cabinet in the US.
Patel took the oath on a copy of the Bhagavad Gita as he was sworn in as the ninth FBI Director in the United States.
He arrived at the Indian Treaty Room with his family members.
Kash Patel is dating Alexis Wilkins, 26, a country music artist. She also attended Patel's swearing-in ceremony, holding the Bhagavad Gita for him as Attorney General Pam Bondi read him the oath.
Kash Patel is sworn into office as the ninth Director of the FBI by Attorney General Pam Bondi at The White House. pic.twitter.com/5A3p7O05jo
— FBI (@FBI) February 22, 2025
Patel made a speech after the oath, "I am here because of my family and I am here because of my friends. We are literally in this room because you made it happen. My sister Nisha and my nephew flew in from London just to be here. My beautiful girlfriend Alexis is here."
After Alexis' name was announced, there was some hooting from the audience to which Patel said, "Yeah, I agree."
— Alexis Wilkins (@AlexisWilkins) February 20, 2025
Born in New York, Patel has roots in Gujarat. However, his parents are from East Africa – his mother is from Tanzania and his father is from Uganda. They came to the US from Canada in 1970. "We are Gujarati," he had told PTI in an earlier interview. The family moved to Queens in New York – often called Little India – in the late 70s. It is here that Patel was born and grew up. Patel's parents are retired now and spend their time in both the US and Gujarat.
After his schooling in New York and college in Richmond, Virginia, and law school in New York, Patel went to Florida where he was a state public defender for four years and then a federal public defender for another four years. Patel is an ice-hockey fan and has been playing the sport since he was six. "I still play and I spend a lot of time volunteering coaching youth hockey in the area."
Patel, who attended both the Houston and Ahmedabad rallies of Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in September 2019 and February 2020, had earlier told PTI that the bilateral relationship had deteriorated under the Biden administration.
