US Senate confirms Kash Patel as Donald Trump's FBI chief amid tight vote

1. US Senate confirms Kash Patel as Donald Trump's FBI chief amid tight vote

US Senate confirms Kash Patel as Donald Trump's FBI chief amid tight vote ByHT News Desk Feb 21, 2025 01:18 AM IST Share Via Copy Link Republican senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski joined all 47 Democrats in voting no on Patel’s nomination.

The US Senate on Thursday narrowly voted to confirm Kash Patel to be FBI Director, putting a loyal defender of President Donald Trump and a frequent critic of the bureau atop the most prominent law enforcement agency in the country.

FILE PHOTO: Kash Patel, U.S. President Donald Trump's nominee to be director of the FBI, departs after testifying before a Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., January 30, 2025.(REUTERS)

Patel, who is of Indian origin, got 51 votes in his favour while 49 senators voted against him. Republican senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski joined all 47 Democrats in voting no on Patel’s nomination.

Patel’s critics have warned that he, a staunch Republican, could use the agency to target the President's perceived political enemies.

FBI directors serve 10-year terms but can be removed by the president. Chris Wray, appointed in 2017, resigned at the end of former US President Joe Biden's term after President Donald Trump pledged to fire him, CBS News reported.

On Tuesday, Patel cleared a key procedural vote in the Senate with strong Republican backing, as reported by The New York Post.

During the Senate confirmation hearings on January 30, while referring to the January 6 capitol riots, reiterated his firm stance against violence, emphasizing that such actions must never be tolerated.

He stated that anyone who engages in violence against law enforcement should be investigated, prosecuted, and imprisoned.

"For January 6, I have repeatedly, publicly, and privately said that there can never be a tolerance for violence against law enforcement. And anyone that commits an act of violence against law enforcement should be investigated, prosecuted, and imprisoned," he said on the issue.

Patel also reaffirmed his commitment to exposing corruption in government, calling public service a privilege and vowing to continue holding officials accountable.

He led President Trump's counterterrorism mission as deputy assistant to the President on the National Security Council (NSC) and helped Trump with his top priorities, including eliminating Al-Qa'ida and ISIS senior leadership and safely repatriating dozens of American hostages.

As the top counterterrorism official at the White House, Kash was responsible for creating and implementing our nation's policy to safeguard the homeland by overseeing the interagency implementation of the national CT strategy.