Kash Patel was confirmed by the Senate as the next director of the FBI in a 51-49 vote Thursday. All Democrats and two Republicans voted against him. And no, the two Republicans did not include Mitch McConnell who opposed all prominent Trump picks like Pete Hegseth, Tulsi Gabbard, RFK Jr. McConnell, in fact, voted in favor of Kash Patel as the FBI director after announcing that he won’t be runninh for re-election.
The two Republicans who did not vote for Kash were Sens. Susan Collins (Main) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska). Collins announced that she would vote a ‘no’ for Kash Patel because the post should go to an apolitical figure and hence they have a tenure of 10 years so that they do not get influenced by any particular administration.
“In this context, there is a compelling need for an FBI Director who is decidedly apolitical. While Mr. Patel has had 16 years of dedicated public service, his time over the past four years has been characterized by high profile and aggressive political activity. Mr Patel has made numerous politically charged statements in his book and elsewhere discrediting the work of the FBI, the very institution he has been nominated to lead. These statements, in conjunction with the questionnaire sent to thousands of FBI employees, cast doubt on Mr. Patel’s ability to advance the FBI’s law enforcement mission in a way that is free from the appearance of political motivation,” Collins said in her statement. The context is how prosecutors are resigning and FBI agents are being fired by the new administration.
Murkowski also issued a statement explaining why she would vote against Kash. “My reservations with Mr. Patel stem from his own prior political activities and how they may influence his leadership. The FBI must be trusted as the federal agency that roots out crime and corruption, not focused on settling political scores. I have been disappointed that when he had the opportunity to push back on the administration’s decision to force the FBI to provide a list of agents involved in the January 6 investigations and prosecutions, he failed to do so,” Murkowski said.
It was a surprise that Mitch McConnell did not oppose Kahs Patel and more surprising was his announcement that the current term in the Senate will be his last.
