Trump Media Awards Stock to FBI Pick Kash Patel

On January 28, 2025, Trump Media & Technology Group awarded roughly $800,000 in restricted stock to Kash Patel, Trump's nominee for FBI director, along with grants to Donald Trump Jr. and Linda McMahon as company directors. The award came shortly before Patel's Senate confirmation hearing and did not initially appear on his financial disclosure or ethics agreement, drawing criticism from ethics experts.

Patel stated he would not accept the compensation in order to avoid any appearance of conflict, and said he would resign from the Trump Media board if confirmed. The Senate confirmed him on February 20, 2025, and the company announced the same day that he had stepped down as a director.

The episode raised broader concerns about financial ties between a sitting president's private media company and a nominee for one of the government's most historically independent law-enforcement posts, a role designed with a ten-year term specifically to insulate it from political and personal financial pressures.