US confirms Trump loyalist Kash Patel to head FBI agency

The Republican-controlled U.S. Senate, on Thursday, confirmed Kash Patel, a staunch loyalist who has threatened to go after President Donald Trump's political enemies, as Director of the FBI, the country's top law enforcement agency.

Patel, 44, whose nomination sparked fierce but ultimately futile opposition from Democrats, was approved by a 51-49 vote.

The vote was split along party lines with the exception of two Republican senators, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, who voted not to confirm Patel to head the 38,000-strong Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Patel drew fire from Democrats for his promotion of conspiracy theories, his defense of pro-Trump rioters who attacked the Capitol on January 6, 2021, and his vow to root out members of a supposed "deep state" plotting to oppose the Republican president.

Democratic Senator Dick Durbin, in a Senate speech opposing Patel's nomination, said he is "dangerously, politically extreme" and has "repeatedly expressed his intention to use our nation's most important law enforcement agency to retaliate against his political enemies."

The Senate has approved all of Trump's cabinet picks so far, underscoring his iron grip on the Republican Party.

Patel, in a statement on X, said he was honored to become the FBI director.

"The American people deserve an FBI that is transparent, accountable, and committed to justice," he said.

"The politicization of our justice system has eroded public trust -- but that ends today," he added. "My mission as Director is clear: let good cops be cops -- and rebuild trust in the FBI.

"And to those who seek to harm Americans -- consider this your warning," he said. "We will hunt you down in every corner of this planet."

AFP