Senate Confirms Kash Patel as FBI Director 51-49

The Senate confirmed Kash Patel as FBI Director by a 51-49 vote on February 20, 2025, the narrowest margin for any FBI director in the agency's history. Republicans Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski voted against confirmation alongside all Democrats. Patel, a fierce critic of the FBI who had called for purging the bureau, immediately began reorganizing senior leadership and reassigning agents.