Trump’s Nominee for FBI Director, Kash Patel, Has Businesses Financially Intertwined with Trump

By Pam Martens and Russ Martens: December 2, 2024 ~

Kash Patel Hawking His Children's Book that Deifies King Trump

Kash Patel Hawking His Children’s Book that Deifies King Trump

Based on his Trump-related online merchandise offerings, Kashyap (Kash) Patel exudes the persona of a slick marketing agent and image handler for President-elect Donald Trump rather than a serious candidate for Director of the FBI. Nonetheless, Trump nominated Patel for the post of FBI Director on Saturday, keeping with his penchant for naming outrageously unsuitable candidates for high office.

Patel’s merchandise offerings include a children’s book trilogy he authored, titled The Plot Against the King. Patel, apparently, has no problem profiling Trump as a King to whom he owes unwavering loyalty. Patel portrays himself in the books as the brilliant wizard who reveals the truth to the populace.

Patel is also hawking his book on the first Trump administration, titled Government Gangsters: The Deep State, the Truth, and the Battle for Our Democracy. Notably, Patel sees no evil intent on the part of Trump to steal the 2020 election with fake electors and an insurrection at the nation’s capital but rather “a sinister cabal of corrupt law enforcement personnel, intelligence agents, and military officials at the highest levels of government,” who plotted to derail Trump as a second-term president in 2020, according to the online promotion for the book.

Orange Man Bad Flag

Orange Man Bad Flag Made by Based Apparel and Being Sold Through the Kash Foundation

Patel is also attempting to rake in merchandising dough at his nonprofit foundation, The Kash Foundation. The merchandise falls under two main slogans: “Orange Man Bad…” and “Fight with Kash. (Patel portrays himself in both the children’s books and Government Gangsters as the unrelenting fighter for truth, justice and the American way.) We’re not exactly sure what message Patel is aiming for with the Orange Man Bad flag, which appears to feature Trump’s flowing hair over a skull and bones.

According to the publicly-filed 990 federal tax form for tax year 2023, The Kash Foundation took in revenues of $1.29 million in 2023 and had net assets of $668,567 at year end 2023. The 990 federal tax form also reported two related-party transactions: a $150,000 interest-free loan from Kash Patel, who is listed as the President and Board Member of the Foundation; and a payment of $275,475 for marketing services to Andrew Ollis, also a Board Member of the Foundation.

The apparel offered by The Kash Foundation is from Based Apparel. The Facebook page for Based Apparel states that it is “A merch brand created by Kash Patel and Andrew Ollis. The name says it all. We are the new counterculture, a brand that pushes back.” (Does the average American really want an FBI Director that is part of a “new counterculture” that is promoting flags with skull and bones?)

The address listed for Based Apparel on its Facebook page is 15 E. Market Street, #6103, Leesburg, VA. This is apparently a Post Office Box in a U.S. Post Office located at that address. That same Post Office Box at that same street address is now, or was previously, listed for the following companies on their respective websites: BelieveMedia.co; ConstitutionalCrisisNews.com; PatrioticTelegram.com; ProtectLibertyUSA.com; and AmericaFirstDaily.com.

Based Apparel, created by Patel and Ollis, is a repeat advertiser on Trump’s social media platform, Truth Social. Other financial conflicts include the following:

Patel owns a consulting firm, Trishul. According to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Trump’s social media company has paid Trishul $181,700 in total for years 2022 and 2023. The SEC filing indicates that “the consulting relationship was terminated by the Company on March 25, 2024.” The same filing confirms that Trishul “is owned by Kashyap ‘Kash’ Patel,” who served as a member of the Board of Directors of Trump’s media company from March 11, 2022 to March 26, 2024.

Patel’s Trishul has also benefitted financially from a Trump Political Action Committee. Trump’s Save America PAC has paid Trishul $324,565 for “strategy consulting” since August 2022.

Believe Media, which operates out of the same P.O. Box as Based Apparel, was paid $403,161 by Trump’s National Joint Fundraising Committee for “fundraising fees” in the current campaign cycle.

There is, no doubt, much more to be discovered about the financial intertwining of Patel and Trump. What the above does clearly explain is why Trump didn’t want the FBI to be vetting his nominees.

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