Kash Patel, whom Donald J. Trump has tapped to lead the Federal Bureau of Investigation, has attacked Mr. Trump’s critics, vowed to investigate Mr. Trump’s opponents and profited from his association with the president-elect by selling pro-Trump merchandise.
He also worked for the parent company of Truth Social, the social media company that has added billions to Mr. Trump’s net worth. Mr. Patel oversaw an investigation into the company’s co-founders — two former contestants on Mr. Trump’s reality-TV show “The Apprentice” — that was later used in court as part of a failed effort to deny them a stake in the business.
Shortly after Mr. Patel joined the board of the parent company, Trump Media & Technology Group, he was hired as an outside consultant and was involved in an investigation into claims that the co-founders, Andy Litinsky and Wes Moss, had mismanaged the debut of Truth Social in 2022, according to court documents, regulatory filings and a person briefed on the matter.
Mr. Litinsky and Mr. Moss had come up with the idea for Truth Social and pitched it to Mr. Trump shortly after he left the White House in January 2021.
The report concluded that Mr. Litinsky and Mr. Moss had “fostered an unpredictable and toxic corporate culture” by allegedly “threatening” some in the company and hiring a technical team that “lacked skill and emotional maturity.” The report recommended providing any relevant information about the two men to law enforcement and regulators.
At the time, federal authorities were scrutinizing early merger talks between Trump Media and a cash-rich special purpose acquisition company.