The Republican-controlled US Senate has confirmed Kash Patel, a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump, as director of the FBI – the country's top law enforcement agency, dariknews.bg reported.
The 44-year-old Patel, whose nomination provoked fierce but ultimately fruitless resistance from Democrats, was approved by a vote of 51-49.
The vote was split along party lines with the exception of two Republican senators – Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who voted “no” Patel to head the 38,000-strong Federal Bureau of Investigation, AFP reported.
Patel has drawn the ire of Democrats for promoting conspiracy theories, his defense of pro-Trump rioters who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, and his promise to root out members of the alleged “deep state” who are plotting against the Republican president.
So far, the Senate has approved all of Trump's cabinet nominees, underscoring his iron grip on the Republican Party.
Among them are Tulsi Gabbard, confirmed as national intelligence chief despite her past support for hostile states including Russia and Syria, and vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for Secretary of Health.