The U.S. Senate confirmed Kash Patel as the new director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Thursday, following a closely contested 51-49 vote.
Patel, a longtime ally of President Donald Trump, faced strong opposition from Democratic lawmakers, with Republican Senators Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins also voting against his confirmation.
However, he secured support from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who had previously opposed some of Trump’s nominees.
During the confirmation process, Patel faced intense scrutiny over his ties to the conspiracy group QAnon and past statements indicating he would target “political enemies” within the government, whom he referred to as the “deep state.”
Democratic Senator Dick Durbin warned that Patel’s appointment could lead to a “political disaster,” while Senator Sheldon Whitehouse cautioned that the decision would “haunt” Republicans in the future.
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In response, Patel denied any plans to politicize the FBI, pledging to maintain the agency’s independence. During his hearing, he insisted that there will be “no politicisation” of the FBI and promised “no retributive actions,” while accusing Democrats of twisting excerpts from some of his past comments to suit their agenda.
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