Archival photo of Kash Patel (Credit: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

(CNN)—Kash Patel, the director of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, sparked reactions with a post responding to a media report he described as 'false'.

Patel cited an image from the published media report's headline, which read: 'Kash Patel cannot rely on Trump's protection forever,' and featured a picture of him alongside illustrations of a water ski, a private jet, a luxury car, and a golf club bag.

Patel commented in his post: 'No, my water skis are gold-plated... idiots.. Your job is to lie, while my job is to protect the American people, and things are going well!'

What do we know about Kash Patel?

Patel is widely viewed, even among Trump loyalists, as a controversial figure and a relentless self-promoter, deriving much of his value to the president-elect from a shared contempt for the so-called 'deep state'.

Patel emerged in Trump's orbit in 2018, when he worked as an aide to Representative Devin Nunes, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee at the time. Patel played a key role in Nunes' efforts to discredit the FBI's investigation into Russia's involvement in Trump's first campaign, including a controversial classified memo alleging FISA violations by the FBI.

In 2019, Patel went to work for Trump on the National Security Council before becoming chief of staff to the acting Secretary of Defense at the end of Trump's first term.

When Trump considered firing then-CIA Director Gina Haspel after the 2020 election, as he sought to release more information about the Russia investigation, Patel was floated as a potential replacement. Although that never happened, Patel remained a key figure in Trump's orbit, though his closeness to the president-elect has waxed and waned.

It is noted that the term of FBI directors spans 10 years to shield the bureau's leader from political pressure.