Senate confirms Kash Patel as FBI director in 51-49 vote

Washington — The Senate on Thursday confirmed Kash Patel to function director of the FBI, approving a key ally of President Trump to steer the bureau amid warnings from Democrats that he might goal the president’s perceived political enemies.

Patel’s nomination was permitted in a party-line vote, 51 to 49. Two Republicans — Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — joined Democrats in voting to oppose Patel.

FBI administrators are appointed to 10-year phrases however may be eliminated by the president. Chris Wray, whom the president appointed in 2017, resigned on the finish of the Biden administration after Mr. Trump pledged to fireside him. 

Collins and Murkowski each issued statements explaining their resolution to oppose Patel’s nomination. 

Collins cited the latest resignations on the Justice Division and a questionnaire despatched to FBI staff about their involvement in circumstances concerning the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol. His statements and actions “forged doubt on Mr. Patel’s means to advance the FBI’s legislation enforcement mission in a means that’s free from the looks of political motivation,” Collins stated.

Murkowski stated her opposition “stem[med] from his personal prior political actions and the way they might affect his management.” She stated the FBI “should be trusted because the federal company that roots out crime and corruption, not targeted on settling political scores,” and she or he was “upset that when [Patel] had the chance to push again on the administration’s resolution to drive the FBI to offer an inventory of brokers concerned within the January 6 investigations and prosecutions, he failed to take action.”

Turmoil on the FBI

Patel will take the helm of the FBI at a time of turmoil for the nation’s premier legislation enforcement company and because it weathers allegations of weaponization from Mr. Trump. 

Eight senior bureau officers have been requested to step down from their posts or face termination final month as a part of broader scrutiny of FBI management by the Trump administration. The ousted officers oversaw the bureau’s nationwide safety, felony and cyber divisions, three sources instructed CBS Information.

Deputy Lawyer Common Emil Bove additionally ordered Brian Driscoll, who was serving as appearing director of the FBI till Patel was put in, to compile an inventory of all present and former FBI staff who have been assigned to the investigation into the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol for overview to “decide whether or not any extra personnel actions are mandatory.”

A survey was additionally despatched to sure FBI staff about their actions associated to the Jan. 6 probes, together with the extent of their roles.

The FBI turned over the checklist of greater than 5,000 personnel who labored on Jan. 6 circumstances final week. Whereas it initially contained worker identification numbers as an alternative of names and different info, Driscoll was later ordered to determine staff by title.

Issues that the checklist of names could possibly be made public prompted a gaggle of unnamed FBI brokers who labored on the Capitol riot investigations to file lawsuits in opposition to the Justice Division searching for to stop disclosure of the knowledge.

The Justice Division and legal professionals for the brokers reached an settlement final week through which the federal government wouldn’t make public the checklist of names except it supplied two days’ discover to the brokers. Authorized proceedings are ongoing within the case.

Patel vowed throughout his affirmation listening to earlier than the Senate Judiciary Committee late final month that “all FBI staff might be shielded from political retribution.” 

“Each FBI worker might be held to absolutely the similar normal and nobody might be terminated for case assignments,” he stated. 

Mr. Trump, in the meantime, has vowed to fireside “some” FBI staff who labored on the Jan. 6 investigations and alleged with out proof they’re “corrupt.”

Days earlier than the Senate took up his nomination, Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the highest Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, requested the Justice Division’s inside watchdog to research whether or not Patel was directing the firing of senior FBI officers as a non-public citizen.

“It’s unacceptable for a nominee with no present position in authorities, a lot much less on the FBI, to personally direct unjustified and probably unlawful antagonistic employment actions in opposition to senior profession FBI management and different devoted, nonpartisan legislation enforcement officers,” Durbin wrote in a letter to Michael Horowitz, the Justice Division inspector basic.

He additionally alleged that Patel might have perjured himself throughout his affirmation listening to earlier than the Judiciary Committee. Throughout an change with Sen. Cory Booker, a New Jersey Democrat, Patel stated he was not conscious of any plans or discussions to punish FBI brokers or personnel related to investigations into Mr. Trump earlier than he was elected to a second time period.

Born on Lengthy Island, New York, Patel started his profession as a public defender in South Florida and labored as a trial legal professional within the Justice Division’s Nationwide Safety Division. He additionally served as a authorized liaison to Joint Particular Operations Command.

In 2017, Patel was particular counsel on counterterrorism on the Home Intelligence Committee, after which labored as a senior committee aide to its then-chairman, former Rep. Devin Nunes, and as senior counsel on the Home Reform and Oversight Committee.

Throughout the first Trump administration, Patel labored for the Nationwide Safety Council, as principal deputy on the Workplace of the Director of Nationwide Intelligence and as chief of workers to appearing Protection Secretary Christopher Miller.

Patel joined the board of administrators for the Trump Media and Know-how Group, which owns the social media platform Reality Social, in April 2022 and served as a nationwide safety adviser to the president throughout the marketing campaign.