Editor’s note: The following is a transcript of FBI Director Kash Patel’s remarks upon receiving the Gentleman of Distinction Award
Kash Patel:
Good evening friends. It’s Kash Patel from Washington, D.C., and I know the IWF Annual Gala is such a special event and I’m so sorry to miss it. While I wish I could be with you in person this evening, it’s an absolute honor to address you over video and take the chance to thank you for this amazing award. As many of you know from over the years, I’ve attended the Independent Women’s Gala in the past and enjoyed getting to know many of you during that time. So to be a recipient of this award tonight is a really special moment for me, for which I will be eternally grateful.
Over the years, I’ve been proud to be on the front lines with you in the public service sector as a congressional staffer, investigating, exposing the weaponization of government, standing up for the rights of the accused as a public defender and for championing a justice system that respects the rule of law for all Americans and constitutional due process.
But I’m also grateful that as I continue my work today, I have a partner in the Independent Women. As a Director of the FBI, I’m working every day with our brave agents and staff and law enforcement partners around the country to get the worst violent criminals off our streets, to root out public corruption and make sure our country is safer. The American people deserve and have earned to know that lawlessness will not be tolerated and that criminal gang members and human traffickers and drug dealers will not be allowed in our communities. We will crush them. And under this administration, these criminals will not be allowed to prosper. My work at the FBI is a part of this administration’s effort to refocus our government on its core mission of serving the American people. We are eliminating the waste, fraud, and abuse of power that has become two commonplace in our bureaucracies and returning that power back to where it belongs, to the American people, pursuant to the Constitution.
I know that this is also part of Independent Women’s mission. These women, you, fight for these values every single day. We share a vision of a freer, more prosperous and healthier society where the government serves its people faithfully while freeing you to create thriving communities. Independent Women is a leader in this important critical fight, and I’m honored by both your friendship and partnership. I hope to meet y’all in person in the near future. Thank you again for this tremendous honor and thank you to all Independent Women for your incredible impact on our country. A special shout out to my dear friend and the crew at IWF, Carrie Lukas, thank you so much for this invitation and for honoring me in this way. I’m bummed I can’t be there, but I hope to see y’all soon and a special shout out to your anthem singer. Thanks everybody and enjoy your evening.