Two Indian-Americans in Trump’s official delegation to India

February 21, 2020

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A man applies finishing touches to paintings of U.S. President Donald Trump and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a wall as part of a beautification along a route that Trump and Modi will be taking during Trump’s upcoming visit, in Ahmedabad, February 17, 2020. REUTERS/Amit Dave

At least two Indian-Americans are part of the delegation that will accompany President Donald Trump to India.

According to senior administration officials speaking on background today in a call-in briefing, Kash Patel, senior advisor for the new acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenel, and Ajit Pai, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission will be in India Feb. 24-25.

The two will be participating in the bilateral meetings which will take place on the sidelines of the two-day visit. Both work on issues important to the U.S. – counterterrorism (Patel), and telecommunications (Pai).

Patel rose to prominence when he played a key role as a staffer to Rep. Devin Nunes, a close Trump supporter, on Capitol Hill to author a report that questioned the role of the FBI and the Department of Justice for their probe into Russian interference in the 2016 elections. He previously served in the National Security ouncil’s International Organizations and Alliances directorate and also as a senior counterterrorism official at the National Security Council.

Ajit Pai, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, receiving a plaque of recognition from President and CEO of the Indian American International Chamber of Commerce, K.V. Kumar, at a Nov. 6, 2019 event held at the Indian Consulate to launch the new New York chapter of IAICC. Padma Shri Dr. Sudhir Parikh, left, looks on. (Photo courtesy IAICC)

President Trump appointed Pai as chairman of FCC in January 2017. Prior to that, he was appointed as a Commissioner by President Obama. Pai has prioritized 5G wireless technology, with emphasis to bringing it to underserved areas in the U.S. “We want to make sure that America leads the world in 5G innovation and investment,” he is quoted saying in an interview on FOX News Headlines 24/7.

Among the others accompanying the President are his daughter and advisor Ivanka Trump who already visited India in 2017 for the Global Entrepreneurship Summit; her husband Jared Kushner, also an advisor to the President; U.S. Ambassador to India Kenneth Juster; U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross; Mick Mulvaney, the acting White House chief of staff; National Security Advisor Robert O Brien; Stephen Miller, senior advisor for policy, who has played a frontline role in immigration issues; Dan Scavino, White House Director of Social Media and assistant to the President; Lindsay Reynolds, chief of staff to the First Lady Melania Trump; and Stephanie Grisham, White House communications director.