Page:CTRL0000034609 - Transcribed Interview of Kashyap Pramod Patel, (December 9, 2021).pdf/12

12 my career up to and including my service in the Trump administration.

I have devoted the vast majority of my professional career to public service and the protection of American lives and liberties. I started my legal career as a State public defender, where I safeguarded the rights of individuals'—charged with serious criminal offenses—standing for due process.

I then became an assistant Federal public defender representing individuals charged with, among other things, complex international and national security related crimes that included narcotrafficking, arms, human smuggling, and large-scale fraud.

During the Obama administration, I joined the Justice Department's National Security Division where I led investigations and oversaw prosecutions of terrorists aligned with Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups. I also served as DOJ's liaison to Joint Special Operation Command, where I worked closely with our Nation's most elite and effective terrorism—counterterrorism units.

In 2017, I became a congressional staffer and served as national security advisor and senior counsel for counterterrorism for the U.S. House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. In these roles, I conducted oversight of sensitive programs and worked on legislation to authorize funding for intelligence and counterterrorism operations worldwide.

In 2019, I joined the National Security Council, where I held several positions and eventually served as deputy assistant to the President, senior director for counterterrorism.

In early 2020, I was asked to serve on detail as the principal deputy to the Acting Director of National Intelligence, whom I assisted in leading 17 intelligence community agencies. I also worked to prioritize the collection of intelligence to focus on hard targets and global threats.