The Senate has confirmed Kashyap Pramod Vinod Patel as the new director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The 51-49 vote was strictly along party lines with RINOs Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski crossing the aisle, joining the Democrats opposed to confirmation. Both expressed reservations about Patel’s ability to remain neutral and cited the White House’s particular interests in FBI personnel that participated in the January 6 riot (not an insurrection, as the media called it) and Patel’s failure to stop the President. Since Patel had no legal authority at all, it is hard to see how he could have stopped President Trump, especially when his predecessor and others have given the FBI a black eye because of blatant partisanship when it came to enforcement.
Patel has promised to avoid disciplinary action over agent participation, but he answers to the President, not the other way round. However, he does have the President’s ear and might be able to dissuade President Trump from rash action.
Patel isn’t without some controversy. California Senator Alex Padilla went on a snark hunt, trying to bait Patel over Patel’s relationship with Gun Owners of America and the group’s endorsement of him and there were others concerned with his involvement with enterprises tied to conspiracy theories. However, a look at his resume shows he has a great deal of experience and certainly has the knowledge to do the job.
The biggest challenge Patel is facing is inertia. People both inside and outside of the agency have become accustomed to weaponization of the FBI, which we suspect may be the real reason for the Democrats’ concern. Even an entirely neutral agency would be an unwelcome change for them.
As director, Kash Patel needs to refocus the FBI on its core purposes: impartial investigation of federal crimes and enforcement of federal laws.
