The US Senate has voted to confirm Kesha Patel, a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump and a conservative radical, as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
This is reported by CNN.
The senators voted 51-49. Democrats voted against, joined by Republicans Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski. Democratic officials warned that Patel was willing to use his position to retaliate against Trumpʼs political enemies.
During the hearing, Kesh Patel stated that there would be ʼno politicizationʼ and "no punitive actions" at FBI, and accused Democrats of seeking out excerpts from old comments.
Democrats relied on Patelʼs calls, in television interviews, podcast appearances, books, and social media posts, to punish people he believed were part of the "deep state" that was trying to undermine Trump.
Instead, Republicans defended Trumpʼs nomination and argued that Patel could make FBI more transparent.
Kesh Patel previously served as a National Security Council official, Chief of Staff to the Acting US Secretary of Defense, and Senior Advisor to the Acting Director of National Intelligence during Donald Trumpʼs first presidency.
The American newspaper The Washington Post wrote that Kesh Patel received a fee of $25,000 in 2024 from a Russian film company that spread pro-Russian and anti-Western views. Now he will be responsible for protecting against Russian espionage operations on US territory.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation in the United States is responsible for fighting crime and national security. Its main tasks include combating terrorism and organized crime, counterintelligence, cybersecurity, protecting human rights, etc.
- The US Senate earlier confirmed Tulsi Gabbard as the countryʼs director of national intelligence. She has consistently opposed support for Ukraine and has repeatedly repeated Russian propaganda theses.
- Christy Noah, who called US military aid to Ukraine a costly strategic mistake and spoke negatively about sanctions against Russia, became the Minister of National Security.
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