By Staff
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Kash Patel was appointed today as the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in a close 51-49 Senate vote.
FILE – Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s choice to be director of the FBI, arrives for his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee at the Capitol in Washington, Jan. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File)
Republican Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska joined all Senate Democrats in opposing Patel’s appointment.
Patel worked for the Department of Defense and the National Security Council under President Donald Trump’s first term in office. Known as a Trump loyalist, Patel has appeared on right-wing podcasts, where he criticized efforts to investigate Trump for corruption.
Patel’s emails reveal he considers the FBI to be a tool of the so-called “deep state,” and wants to use the FBI and the Justice Department to prosecute journalists.
Murkowski expressed her concerns over his appointment on X, saying that her “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,” Murkowski wrote. “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.”