Senate Confirms Kash Patel As Next FBI Director
deadline.comThe Senate confirmed Kash Patel as the next FBI director, clearing one of Donald Trump’s most controversial nominees who has previously bashed the agency and amplified a conspiracy theory that it had a role in the January 6th attack on the Capitol.
The vote was 51-49. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) joined all Democrats and independents in voting against the confirmation.
Democrats hammered Patel in his confirmation hearing last month. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, called for an investigation into whether Patel, still a private citizen, had directed a purge of top FBI officials.
Citing information from whistleblowers, Durbin said that it raised the prospect that Patel lied to the committee. Patel also has been confronted with past statements calling for retribution against Trump’s critics.
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