“Place your hand on Gita…” US Attorney General Bondi as she gets Kash Patel sworn in as FBI Head

Feb 22, 2025

Washington, DC (USA): Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s pick for FBI director, was sworn in on Friday (February 21) after the Republican-controlled US Senate confirmed him by a 51-49 vote the day before. It puts a Trump loyalist atop the nation's most prominent law enforcement agency at a time of growing upheaval. Two moderate Republicans, Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, joined all Democrats in opposing Patel, but it was not enough to overcome broad Republican support. Collins and Murkowski, in opposing Patel, expressed concern about his past political advocacy for Trump and its potential effect on the FBI's law enforcement activities. Republican supporters argued he would reform an agency that has been hampered by a decline in public trust. Democrats had forcefully opposed Patel's nomination, saying his past calls for retribution against Trump's critics made him unfit to lead the FBI. Patel takes charge as Trump-backed officials seek to put their stamp on the FBI and its parent agency, the Justice Department, challenging decades-old traditions of independence and reorienting its mission toward Trump’s core priorities.