In a significant development for US President Donald Trump‘s administration, Indian-origin Kash Patel has been confirmed as the next FBI director by the US Senate. But what’s noteworthy here is that the confirmation came by a very thin margin.
Who voted against Kash Patel and Why?
Patel was confirmed as the new FBI director by a ratio of 51-49. According to a BBC report, all the Democrats had voted against Patel but there were also two Republicans who voted against him, one of them being senior US Senator from Maine, Susan Collins, and the other being Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.
Collis had issued a statement on Thursday saying that Patel’s nomination to be FBI Director has come at a time when recent changes have been made at the Department of Justice. This includes the resignations of several experienced federal prosecutors who felt they were being told to do things that went against their ethical duties.
What do Democrats and Republicans think of Patel?
As per the BBC report, most Republicans see Patel as someone who will bring a much-needed change to the FBI, which they and US President Trump believe has been unfairly used against conservatives.
However, Democrats argue that Patel doesn’t have much experience in law enforcement and is also a ‘far-right conspiracy theorist’. They believe he would be more loyal to Trump than to the job of leading a department that is supposed to be independent.
Patel has extensively been vocal about bringing major changes to the FBI, which includes more emphasis on their traditional crime-fighting duties rather than gathering intelligence and doing national security work.
Patel will now replace Christopher Wray who was also picked by Trump in 2017. Wray had resigned a day prior to Trump’s inauguration day, after the US President had indicated that he would fire him once he comes to power.
After being confirmed as the new FBI director, Patel took to X and wrote, “I am honored to be confirmed as the ninth Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.”