On Tuesday, the GOP-led Senate confirmed Kash Patel to become director of the FBI, affirming President Donald Trump’s nominee to take over a bureau that has faced claims of politicization in recent years.
All but two Republicans voted in favor of Patel, resulting in a 51-49 tally. Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Susan Collins (R-ME) joined with the Democrats and independents in opposing the nominee.
“I look forward to working with Mr. Patel to restore the integrity of the FBI and get it focused on its critical mission,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said in remarks before the vote.
Trump selected Patel, a top investigator for the House Intelligence Committee who later served in high-level national security positions within the president’s first administration, in late November.
“Kash is a brilliant lawyer, investigator, and ‘America First’ fighter who has spent his career exposing corruption, defending Justice, and protecting the American People,” Trump said in a statement.
Trump went on to assert that his pick to lead the FBI “played a pivotal role in uncovering the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, standing as an advocate for truth, accountability, and the Constitution.”
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Over the past few years, the FBI has faced criticism from the president and his allies over its investigation into Trump’s suspected links to Russia, the raid of Mar-a-Lago, allegedly targeting pro-life activists, and more.
Lawmakers clashed over whether Patel is fit to lead the FBI, with his supporters arguing he would restore trust in the bureau while critics voiced unease about politicization and his qualifications.
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said on X that Patel “is a dangerous extremist who will use the FBI to retaliate against his and Trump’s political enemies.”
Patel appeared for a confirmation hearing before the Judiciary Committee at the end of last month. The nominee said that protecting the rights in the Constitution was “of the utmost importance” to him.
Following a one-week delay at the behest of the Democrats, the panel voted 12-10 to favorably report Patel’s nomination to the full Senate. A vote to break the filibuster happened earlier on Thursday.
The two Republican defectors, Collins and Murkowski, each released statements in the hours before the final vote that said Patel failed to assuage their concerns about his political record.
An FBI director answers directly to the U.S. Attorney General and serves a term of up to 10 years. Chris Wray, a Trump nominee who stayed on as FBI director in the Biden administration, stepped down last month.
The Senate has confirmed more than a dozen nominees for top roles in Trump’s second-term administration, including Attorney General Pam Bondi and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
