The U.S. Senate confirmed Kash Patel as President Donald Trump’s director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Thursday. After the confirmation vote, Patel vowed to “rebuild” the FBI and make it something “the American people can be proud of.”
According to Fox News, Patel was approved by a vote of 51 to 49. The outlet noted that Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) voted in favor of Trump’s FBI pick, while Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) voted with the Democrats against Patel.
Fox News reported that the Senate voted 51 to 47 earlier on Thursday to invoke cloture and start two hours of debate on Patel’s nomination following the Senate Judiciary Committee’s vote earlier this month to advance his nomination to a full Senate vote.
Prior to Patel’s confirmation vote on Thursday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said, “I look forward to working with Mr. Patel to restore the integrity of the FBI and get it focused on its critical mission.”
Thune emphasized that the next FBI director “needs to focus on rooting out politics so the FBI can enforce the law, uphold the Constitution, and keep Americans safe.”
In a Thursday post on X, formerly Twitter, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the top Democrat member on the Senate Judiciary Committee, wrote, “Kash Patel is a dangerous extremist who will use the FBI to retaliate against his and Trump’s political enemies. Senate Republicans will quickly come to regret this vote.”
Durbin’s statement comes after Patel pledged during his confirmation hearing that “there will be no politicization at the FBI” and “there will be no retributive action” under his leadership, according to Fox News.
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Following Thursday’s vote, Patel released a statement, saying, “I am honored to be confirmed as the ninth Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Thank you to President Trump and Attorney General Bondi for your unwavering confidence and support.”
“The American people deserve an FBI that is transparent, accountable, and committed to justice,” Patel added. “The politicalization of our justice system has eroded public trust—but that ends today. My mission as Director is clear: let good cops be cops—and rebuild trust in the FBI.”
Patel pledged to “rebuild” the FBI into an agency that the “American people can be proud of.” He also warned anyone who might consider harming Americans, saying, “We will hunt you down in every corner of this planet.”
