Kash Patel will soon be sworn in as director of the FBI after becoming the first director nominee in history to be confirmed on a strictly partisan vote in the Senate, and the first nominee to be confirmed with fewer than 90 votes. Two Republican senators voted against him, though it was not enough to defeat President Trump’s choice to lead the federal government’s premier law enforcement agency. 

Mr. Patel — who is a former Pentagon chief of staff and deputy director of national intelligence — rose to prominence in Washington’s conservative circles for his role in trying to debunk claims that Mr. Trump had colluded with Russia during the 2016 election. 

After 2020, he made millions as a conservative speaker, writer, and influencer, often speaking out against federal law enforcement whom he believed to be targeting the president and other conservatives. In his book, “Government Gangsters,” Mr. Patel listed 60 people whom he believed to be “deep state” operatives who should be removed from their positions, including Attorney General Barr, former defense secretary Mark Esper, and a former CIA director Gina Haspel, among others. Democrats touted this section of the book as evidence of Mr. Patel having an “enemies list,” though both Mr. Patel and Attorney General Bondi at their respective confirmation hearings said no one in the government would be targeted by the new administration. 

The top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, Senator Durbin, claimed in a floor speech that Mr. Patel had lied at his confirmation hearings, given that whistleblowers allegedly told him that the FBI director nominee — before even being confirmed — was directing firings at the bureau. Mr. Trump has said he wants to fire “some” of the FBI agents involved in investigations into the more than 1,400 people charged for crimes related to January 6, and that effort included sending a questionnaire to agents demanding that they disclose their level of involvement in the investigations.

Mr. Trump — while a subject of FBI investigations — was fiercely critical of the agency during his 2024 campaign, and said that he wanted someone who could be a reformer once he returned to the White House, which led Mr. Trump’s previous FBI director, Christopher Wray, to resign at the start of the president’s second term. 

Mr. Patel was confirmed by a vote of 51 to 49, with Senator Collins, Senator Murkowski, and every Democrat voting no. 

“There is a compelling need for an FBI Director who is decidedly apolitical. While Mr. Patel has had 16 years of dedicated public service, his time over the past four years has been characterized by high profile and aggressive political activity,” Ms. Collins said in a statement Thursday. “Mr. Patel has made numerous politically charged statements in his book and elsewhere discrediting the work of the FBI, the very institution he has been nominated to lead. These statements … cast doubt on Mr. Patel’s ability to advance the FBI’s law enforcement mission in a way that is free from the appearance of political motivation.”

“Mr. Patel’s recent political profile undermines his ability to serve in the apolitical role of Director of the FBI,” Ms. Collins added. 

In justifying her no vote, Ms. Murkowski said she had reservations about the nominee given “his own prior political activities and how they may influence his leadership.”

“The FBI must be trusted as the federal agency that roots out crime and corruption, not focused on settling political scores,” the Alaska senator said. “I have been disappointed that when he 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.”

“If confirmed, I wish a successful tenure at the helm of this agency,” she added. “I truly hope that he proves me wrong about the reservations I have of him today.”

There was some speculation that Senator McConnell — who has already given a thumbs down to three of Mr. Trump’s Cabinet nominees — could vote against Mr. Patel, though he did end up supporting the nominee on the floor. 

Mr. Patel’s confirmation on Thursday marks the first time in the history of the bureau that its nominee for director was confirmed on a strictly partisan vote in the Senate. Mr. Patel is also the only FBI director nominee in history to win fewer than 90 yes votes from lawmakers. Of the eight confirmations for FBI director nominees, six were confirmed unanimously, while the other two nominees won more than 90 votes in the Senate.