The US Senate voted to confirm former public prosecutor Cash Patel as a future director of the FBI, and continued to have a series of success for President Donald Trump’s government candidates.
But Thursday’s confirmation came with thin margins. Only 51 Senate members, all of them Republicans, voted for the 100 -seat Patel.
There were two prominent splitting from the Republican Party: Lisa Morkovsky from Alaska and Susan Collins from Maine. They joined 47 democrats in opposing what critics called a dangerous nomination for the FBI leadership.
“Mr. Patel’s record is dangerous, inexperienced and unreasonable,” said Democrat Dirk Deepin from Illinois. “He should not and cannot be an effective director of the Federal Investigation Office.”
For his part, on social media mailHe thanked Patel Trump and said he was honored.
“The policy of our judicial system has eroded the confidence of the public – but this ends today,” Battle books. “My mission as a clear director: Let’s good policemen – and I rebuild confidence in the FBI.”
But in the period before the vote, a procession of democratic lawmakers, including Deren, took the Senate Hall to warn it of Patel’s confirmation, saying that it would already lead to the politicization of the FBI.
They raised questions about his ability to lead the FBI fairly, given previous statements indicating that he may use the office resources to continue Trump’s political competitors and journalists.
Durbin said: “It is a horrific thing that my colleagues are ready to support him despite the serious threat he represents for our national security,” Durbin said.
“I’m sorry to say, I think they will quickly regret this vote. When I think about giving this man for a period of 10 years as a manager of the world’s leading criminal investigation agency, I can’t imagine a worse option.”
Tight confirmation
These concerns were reflected in the historical narrow margins that passed through Patel confirmation. His ancestors were approved at the FBI with the support of the two parties with an overwhelming majority.
Christopher Ray, former FBI director, won 92 votes in 2017. In front of him, in 2013, James Komei made 93 votes in support. Robert Muller in 2001, the unanimous vote, 98 to zero.
However, with the majority of a republic of 53 members of the Senate, any of the candidates for President Trump is expected to outperform a confirmation vote.
Even Mitch McConnell of Kentucky – who broke his ranks with his Republican colleagues about the assurances of Tolcy Gabbard and Robert Kennedy Junior – threw his support behind Patel on Thursday.
But in separate data, Collins and Morkovsky explained that they could not vote for Patel for fear of the FBI used political gains.
“My reservations with Mr. Patel stems from his previous political activities and how it may affect his leadership,” Morkovsky books. “The Federal Investigation Office must be trusted as the federal agency that produces crime and corruption, and does not focus on settling political grades.”
Collins repeated this feeling, saying that “aggressive political activity” of Batil is suspicious of his ability to lead a non -party office.
“Mr. Collins explained in her that the last political file of Batil is undermining his ability to serve in the non -political role of the FBI director,” Collins explained in it. statement.
This is not the first time that Patel has broken Republicans under Trump’s leadership.
During the first period of Trump, from 2017 to 2021, Patel served in a variety of roles, including in the National Security Council and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
However, news reports showed that the director of the CIA, Gina Hasbil, threatened to resign that Trump Patel may be naming as her deputy.
In notes, Bill Bar, who held the position of public prosecutor during the first period of Trump’s state, recalled a proposal to make Pateel, deputy director of the FBI, saying that he would be “on my body.”
Confronting the criticism of the Senate
During his assertion sessions in January, Patel defended himself against allegations that he would benefit from the FBI to provide Trump’s bids. He also denied that he would do anything illegal if he was confirmed as the FBI director.
“I have no interest, no desire and will not, if it is confirmed, back. Patel told Democratic Senate members because he faced a hot interrogation:” There will be no politicization of the Federal Investigation Office. “
Patel has drawn his plans to increase law enforcement capabilities at the FBI, including by distributing larger resources in the fifty states.
“A third of the Federal Investigation Office works in Washington, DC,” Patel answered. “I am completely committed to the presence of these workforce in the interior of the countries where I live, West Mississippi, and I work with Sharif departments and local employees.”
The son of the Indian immigrants who moved from Uganda to Canada and after the United States, Patel condemned his personality as “false accusations and bad coats.”
But he repeatedly faced his own words, from multiple manifestations on the podcast and books he wrote.
Patel, for example, published the conspiracy theory that the FBI was planning to attack the American Capitol on January 6, 2021, as the “wrong science” operation by Trump’s Zawiya supporters.
In an interview with Sean Ryan’s show, Patel also threatened to “close” the headquarters of the FBI in Washington, DC, and turn it into a “deep state museum.”
Patel, Trump’s ally Steve Bannon, spoke in 2023, pledged Patel to follow up on the president’s political competitors, which he described as “criminals” and “conspirators”. He also repeated false allegations that Trump’s defeat in the elections in 2020 against Joe Biden was fraudulent.
“We will go out and find the conspirators, not only in the government, but in the media,” Patel said. “We will come after people in the media who lied to American citizens who helped in Joe Biden’s presidential elections.”
Patel even formulated a book for children, the conspiracy against the king, which was portrayed by Trump as a king surrounded by his opponents after Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris, his democratic competitors in the 2016 and 2024 presidential races, respectively.
The Democrats criticized him for his association with the “J6 choir”, which consists of the defendants who were arrested after the 2021 attack on the Capitol.
Democrats urge a “no” vote
In the minutes before the Senate’s vote to confirm Patel, Democratic Senator Alex Padilla of California Patel described that he used Trump as a “critical cow” – a tool to reserve the appearances of the media and publishing deals.
Badilla also asked whether Batl had a law enforcement or intelligence experience to qualify for the job as a federal investigation office manager.
“Cash Patel has shown a dangerous shortage of judgment, lack of preparation and independence,” said Badilla. “He showed that he was either unwilling or unable to set politics aside to protect the American people and support the constitution, if he affirms the leadership of the FBI.”
Senator Adam Chef, another Democrat in California, chanted his colleague. He expressed concern that the FBI will be destroyed under the leadership of Patel, as part of Trump’s task for the federal workforce.
“In democracy, the application of the main law does not serve, not to mention a person who raises himself as a king. The application of the law serves people.
“I see that the people who should continue in the FBI are the actual criminals, not the president’s enemies today. The Federal Investigation Office should not work as the Donald Trump army.”