By Steve Neavling
Kash Patel, a polarizing pick to lead the FBI, cleared another procedural hurdle Tuesday as the Senate voted 48-45 to advance his nomination, setting up a final confirmation vote in the coming days.
If confirmed, Patel would serve a 10-year term as FBI director and play a key role in President Donald Trump’s efforts to wield executive power against his perceived enemies. A former congressional staffer who worked to discredit the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, Patel has pledged to target Trump’s opponents and shut down the FBI’s Washington headquarters on his first day, vowing to turn it into “a museum” of the “deep state.”
Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee have raised concerns that Patel would prioritize loyalty to Trump over his responsibilities as FBI director. They also accused him of playing a role in the agency’s recent leadership shakeup from outside the government and requested a second hearing to question him further. Committee Chair Chuck Grassley quickly rejected the request, calling it an effort to undermine the results of the 2024 election and Trump’s right to appoint his administration.
During his only confirmation hearing, Patel distanced himself from his ties to the “J6 prison choir,” a group of Jan. 6 rioters who recorded songs from jail. He also refused to clearly say whether Trump lost the 2020 election and declined to discuss his testimony in the investigation into Trump’s handling of classified documents, Politico reports.
Trump nominated Patel in December after firing FBI Director Christopher Wray, whom he had appointed during his first term but later turned against. In his farewell message last month, Wray, who Trump accused of politicizing the bureau, urged FBI employees to remain independent and avoid political influence.
