Kash Patel is now officially the director of the FBI. The Senate confirmed him Thursday in a 51-49 vote, delivering a major win for Donald Trump, who has spent years clashing with the agency. Every Senate Democrat voted against Kash. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, both Republicans, also opposed his nomination.
“Mr. Kash’s recent political profile undermines his ability to serve in the apolitical role of Director of the FBI,” Collins said before the vote. But it wasn’t enough to stop him. Kash has built a reputation as one of Trump’s fiercest defenders.
Kash’s Bitcoin holdings and financial disclosures
Kash’s financial records show a somewhat unusual portfolio for an FBI director. He disclosed up to $115,000 in a Bitcoin ETF, along with up to $250,000 in Core Scientific, a major Bitcoin mining company.
The FBI of course already owns a massive stash of Bitcoin. The agency primarily gets its BTC through seizures tied to criminal cases, scooping up assets from dark web busts, fraud schemes, and hacks.
As of press time, the FBI was sitting on 213,297 Bitcoin, making it one of the biggest BTC holders on the planet. Some of the largest seizures are 144,000 BTC from Silk Road in 2013, 50,676 BTC from Jimmy Zhong, and 95,000 BTC from the Bitfinex hack. The US Marshals Service auctions most of it off, but for now, the FBI remains deep in crypto.
Meanwhile, Kash’s financial disclosure also details millions in stock holdings. Kash owns up to $5 million in EliteDepot, a fashion and skin care retail company, and up to $250,000 in NVIDIA, one of the biggest chipmakers in the world. His assets include up to $250,000 in VK Integrated Systems, a tactical gear company tied to defense and law enforcement contracts.
Beyond investments, Kash made money in media and publishing. He received $165,000 from Performance One Media, $99,000 from Epoch Times, and $57,000 from speaking engagements at events like Our Watch, the Libertarian National Committee, and Citizens Defending Freedom. His book deals—including “Government Gangsters” and the “Plot Against the King” series—brought in between $145,000 and $1.2 million.
Kash agreed to step down from many positions as part of his FBI role. He left Trump Media and Technology Group, the Kash Patel Foundation, and Epoch Times. However, some of his consulting businesses, Trishul LLC and Dal Forno LLC, will remain inactive rather than being dissolved.
His consulting work connected him to key Trump allies. Kash worked with Hope Hicks’ company, Cavender Consultants, Robert O’Brien’s American Global Strategies, and Trump’s Save America PAC.
