University of Richmond alumnus Kash Patel, '02, President Donald Trump’s pick to head the FBI, was confirmed by the United States Senate Feb. 20.
Ahead of his confirmation, Patel has vowed to crack down on crime and rebuild trust in the agency.
“I'm going to let good cops be cops and put handcuffs on the bad guys and put child molesters in prison and put murderers in prison and make sure fentanyl doesn't kill another one of your constituents,” Patel said in a hearing ahead of his confirmation vote.
Patel faced a narrow confirmation vote on his path to become FBI director, with 51 senators voting in support of his nomination and 49 voting against. Notably, Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) joined all Senate Democrats to vote against Patel’s confirmation.
“While I strongly support efforts to ensure all federal employees perform their responsibilities ethically and in accordance with the law,” Collins wrote in a statement ahead of the vote. “Mr. Patel’s recent political profile undermines his ability to serve in the apolitical role of Director of the FBI.”
On Thursday, Jan. 30, Patel faced his first Senate confirmation hearing in which Democrat lawmakers spent hours questioning him on certain aspects of his past.
During the hearing, Patel was interrogated about his refusal to clearly state that Biden won the election and his engagement with right-wing conspiracy theories. He was also questioned about his 2023 book “Government Gangsters: The Deep State, the Truth, and the Battle for Our Democracy.”
“Any accusations leveled against me that I would somehow put political bias before the Constitution are grotesquely unfair,” Patel said during his hearing. “And I will have you reminded that I have been endorsed by over 300,000 law enforcement officers to become the next director of the FBI.”
Patel faced little pushback from Republican lawmakers. All 51 votes in favor of his nomination were from Republicans. Former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) voted in Patel’s favor despite previously breaking ranks to vote against Trump nominations Pete Hegseth and Tulsi Gabbard.
“The Bureau’s reputation in recent years has been plagued by high-profile scandals that risk politicizing its critical work,” McConnell wrote in a statement. “Director Patel has committed to restoring Americans’ trust in the F.B.I., and I hope and expect he will move quickly to reset the Bureau with greater transparency, accountability, and cooperation with the Congress.”
Democrats, such as Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) spoke against Patel’s nomination on the floor of the Senate ahead of the vote. Klobuchar quoted Patel’s “Government Gangsters” book in which he accused the FBI of being “compromised.”
“I don’t think the FBI is a threat to the people, like Mr. Patel,” Klobuchar said. “I don’t think it’s utterly corrupt and I don’t think my Republican colleagues believe that either.”
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Republicans, however, such as Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) hope that Patel’s role in the FBI will help restore trust in the agency.
“Once confirmed, Mr. Patel will begin working to restore trust in one of America’s premier law enforcement agencies,” Barrasso said. “...Kash Patel will reform and refocus the FBI to get it focused on its core mission, and that core mission is fighting crime.”
Bill Barr, Trump’s previous attorney general, previously expressed disdain for Patel. During Trump’s first term, he said that Patel would become deputy FBI director “over my dead body.”
Virginia Sens. Tim Kaine (D) and Mark Warner (D) both voted against Patel’s confirmation.
“The FBI Director should be someone who will prioritize the rule of law and independence from political interference,” Kaine wrote in a statement. “It’s obvious that Patel is unable and unwilling to do that.”
Patel claims that he will restore public trust in the FBI. He is expected to enable Trump’s promised retribution against his political enemies.
Contact city and state editor Maria Byrnes at maria.byrnes@richmond.edu and editor-in-chief Nick Mossman at nick.mossman@richmond.edu
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