Kash Patel confirmation vote

The Senate is set to vote on whether or not to confirm Kash Patel as Donald Trump’s FBI director. Democrats criticized Patel for his “lack of managerial experience”, and for comments he made criticizing the FBI’s handling of Trump related cases. The left sees Patel as a “Trump loyalist”. Senator Adam Schiff described Patel as “lacking character and integrity” to do the job. Schiff further insisted that “both” Democrats and Republicans in the Senate “know that.” At least one Republican senator, Susan Collins, indicated lack of support.

From AP news:

Republicans angry over what they see as law enforcement bias against conservatives during the Biden administration, as well as criminal investigations into Trump, have rallied behind Patel.

“Mr. Patel wants to make the FBI accountable once again — get back the reputation that the FBI has had historically for law enforcement,” Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, told colleagues on Wednesday. “He wants to hold the FBI accountable to Congress, to the president and, most importantly, to the people they serve — the American taxpayer.”

Democrats have complained about Patel’s lack of management experience compared with others who have held the director’s job and they have highlighted incendiary past statements that they say call his judgment into question.

“My prediction is if you vote for Kash Patel, more than any other confirmation vote you make, you will come to regret this one to your grave,” Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut said this week.

A half-dozen Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee gathered outside FBI headquarters before the vote to speak out against Patel and make a last-ditch plea to derail his confirmation.

“This is someone we cannot trust,” said Sen. Adam Schiff of California. “This is someone who lacks the character to do this job, someone who lacks the integrity to do this job. We know that, our Republican colleagues know that.”

He added: “The only qualification Kash Patel has to be FBI director is that when everyone else in the first Trump administration said, ‘No, I won’t do that, that crosses moral, ethical and legal lines,’ Kash Patel said, ‘Sign me up.'”

Additional Reading:

Johnson, J. (2025, February 20). Susan Collins vows to oppose Trump FBI director nominee Kash Patel ahead of critical vote. Fox News. Link.

Tucker, E. (2025, February 20). Senate pushes toward confirmation of Kash Patel as Trump’s FBI director. AP news. Link.

Category: Politics