The Senate confirms Kash Patel as FBI Director

The Senate on Thursday confirmed Kash Patel as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He had the support of most Republicans, but was opposed by a pair of Republicans: Lisa Murkowski, for Alaska, and Susan Collins, for Maine.

The final vote was 51 to 49. All of the Democratic senators opposed Patel.

However, the support of Republican Senator Mitch McConnell, who had opposed other controversial Donald Trump appointments such as that of Tulsi Gabbard as director of National Intelligence, stands out.

Who is Kash Patel

Patel is the son of Indian-Gujarati immigrants who fled ethnic repression in Uganda. His career was marked by a focus on national security and criminal justice, entering politics in 2017 as a senior adviser on counterterrorism to the House Intelligence Committee.

Under the past Trump administration, Patel served as senior adviser to acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell, and in 2020 was named chief of staff to acting Defense Secretary, Christopher Miller.

In 2022 he joined the board of Trump Media & Technology Group, a company that owns Truth Social. In the past election cycle he actively campaigned for Trump.