The Senate voted on Thursday to confirm Kash Patel as FBI director, installing a staunch loyalist of President Donald Trump and conservative firebrand at the head of the nation’s top law enforcement agency.

Two high-profile Republicans, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, notably voted against his confirmation. Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell, the longest-serving Senate party leader, who announced Thursday he will not be seeking re-election in 2026, voted in favor of Patel's nomination, which came as a surprise to many.

The Senate voted to confirm Kash Patel as FBI director, a decision that places him atop the nation’s premier federal law enforcement agency despite concerns from Democrats over his qualifications and the prospect that he would do President Donald Trump’s bidding.

The US Senate has confirmed Kash Patel as FBI director, putting the former prosecutor in charge of a law-enforcement agency that he has fiercely attacked. The upper chamber of Congress narrowly approved President Donald Trump's nominee by 51-49. Two Republicans voted no.

The US Senate confirmed Kash Patel to lead the FBI, installing one of President Donald Trump’s fiercest loyalists to overhaul the nation’s top criminal investigative agency that he and other Republicans claim has been weaponized against conservatives.

The Senate has bowed to Trump by confirming his problematic nominees for high-level positions, most recently Kash Patel

The U.S. Senate confirmed Kash Patel as President Donald Trump's director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Thursday.