The Senate confirmed Kash Patel to become Director of the FBI on Thursday by a vote of 51-49.
The only Republicans to break ranks and vote against Patel were Alaska's Lisa Murkowski and Maine's Susan Collins. Every Democrat voted against the confirmation, NBC News reported.
Murkowski and Collins each referenced recent actions taken by the Trump administration to identify FBI agents who worked on cases related to the Jan. 6 capitol riots. Trump pardoned 1,600 individuals, some of whom had been convicted of crimes and some who still had pending cases.
Since then six of the FBI's most senior executives and multiple heads of FBI field offices have been forced out, NBC News reported. Murkowski and Collins each said they feared that Patel, described as a Trump loyalist, will attempt to settle political scores and extend the dismissals to field agents involved in Jan. 6 cases.
"The FBI must be trusted as the federal agency that roots out crime and corruption, not focused on settling political scores. I have been disappointed that when [Patel] 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," Murkowski said.
In her statement, Collins noted the change in senior leadership and a concern that field agents could be punished, even though they do not get to decide their own assignments.
"The nomination of Kash Patel to serve as Director of the FBI comes to the Senate against the backdrop of recent personnel actions at the Department of Justice, including the resignations of several career federal prosecutors who felt they were being instructed to act in a manner inconsistent with their ethical obligations," Collins stated.
"In addition, a questionnaire has been sent to thousands of FBI employees regarding their involvement in certain investigations. As I have stated previously, these initiatives raise the specter that adverse actions could be taken against FBI employees – including special agents in the field – who have dedicated their careers to public service and who do not choose their assignments," she said.
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