FACT CHECK: Viral X Post Shared By Parody Account Posing As Kash Patel’s Father

A viral post shared on X purports to show a tweet from Kash Patel’s father congratulating him on being nominated to serve as President-elect Donald Trump’s director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

When Kashu and Vivek were small they would play together in the parking lot while I was working in the motel

Now Kashu is director of the FBI and Vivek is helping clean up the government with DOGE

So proud of my son and his friends ❤️ pic.twitter.com/ecQkqdAvVp

— Dr. Parik Patel, BA, CFA, ACCA Esq. (@ParikPatelCFA) December 1, 2024

Verdict: False

The claim is false as the account that made the post identifies itself as sharing parody content.

Fact Check:

Patel’s communications were reportedly targeted by Iranian hackers, according to the Daily Beast, which cited CNN. Patel played a key role in Trump’s efforts against Iran during his first administration, Trump transition spokesperson Alex Pfeiffer said, the outlet reported.

The X post, which has amassed over four million views as of writing, purports to show a tweet from Patel’s father congratulating him on being nominated to serve as Trump’s FBI director.

“When Kashu and Vivek [Ramaswamy] were small they would play together in the parking lot while I was working in the motel,” the purported post begins. “Now Kashu is director of the FBI and Vivek is helping clean up the government with DOGE. So proud of my son and his friends,” it continues.

The post was shared on X on December 1 by social media user @ParikPatelCFA. The social media user’s name is listed as Dr. Parik Patel, BA, CFA, ACCA Esq. via its profile.

The claim is false as the account that made the post identifies itself as sharing parody content. The account bears a “Parody, not Investment Advice” label via its bio.

Likewise, Patel’s father is named Pramod, not Parik, according to an August 2024 piece published in The Atlantic. According to the same piece, the elder Patel is not a doctor but “became CFO at a global distributor of aircraft bearings.”

In addition, Check Your Fact found no credible news reports to support the claim. Actually, the opposite is true. On December 4, Reuters reported the claim was false, indicating it had been shared by the same parody account. The outlet also cited the same piece from The Atlantic to debunk the claim. (RELATED: Did Joe Biden Smile At A Question About Pardoning Hunter?)

Furthermore, Patel does not appear to have publicly commented on the claim via his verified X account, @Kash_Patel.

Although the post originally stems from a parody account, Newsweek thought the account was legitimate and referenced one of its posts in a recent article, according to the Times of India. Newsweek has since corrected the article.