The vote is in, and Kash Patel is the new director of the FBI in another huge win for Donald Trump.
🚨 #BREAKING: Kash Patel has been CONFIRMED as FBI Director by the U.S. Senate
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) February 20, 2025
The Deep State is COOKED! 🔥
CONGRATS Director @Kash_Patel pic.twitter.com/Ycds1p9KU6
The final vote came in at 51-49.
Surprisingly, Kentucky Republican Senator Mitch McConnell, who announced Thursday that he will not be running for reelection in 2026, was a yes vote. He was a no on SecDef Pete Hegseth and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard (both were confirmed anyway).
McConnell votes to confirm Patel as FBI Director
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) February 20, 2025
GOP Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Maine's Susan Collins voted "nay."
The day started out on an ominous note when Maine Sen. Susan Collins was the only Republican to vote no on a procedural vote to continue with Patel’s confirmation.
Susan Collins is the lone Republican who voted against cloture on Kash's nomination.
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) February 20, 2025
Her seat is up in 2026. It's time to make sure she faces a primary challenger!
You're either with us or against us, and Susan Collins can't be trusted! pic.twitter.com/LyAtc2uQtZ
Of course, every single Democrat voted no because Patel scares them.
WATCH: Schiff Throws a New, Incredibly Ironic Tantrum About Kash Patel
Amy Klobuchar Tries to 'Go Gangsta' on Kash Patel; He Shows Why He'll Be the Next FBI Boss
As we reported, Patel’s confirmation was heated as Democrats tried to smear him at every turn, and did everything in their power to undermine his credibility. He mostly swatted them away like flies and made them look like fools.
There’s a very obvious reason why Adam Schiff is panicking outside the FBI building this morning…
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) February 20, 2025
Kash Patel: “Adam Schiff is the worst criminal in Congress in the last 250 years.” pic.twitter.com/9yiQBzHMEN
CIA Director John Ratcliffe showed in advance of the vote that he was confident of the outcome:
Playtime is over, @Kash_Patel. Time to get to work 👊🏻👊🏽🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/v58itbS0pI
— John Ratcliffe (@JohnRatcliffe) February 20, 2025
Patel has their knickers in such a twist because, like Attorney General Pam Bondi, he has vowed to shake up the corruption and politicization in federal law enforcement and has promised to bring wrong-doers to account:
A former public defender, congressional aide and national security official in the first Trump administration, Long Island native Patel received firm backing from Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) for having undergone “rigorous vetting” and being committed to rooting out “political bias” at the FBI.
“Mr. Patel was instrumental in exposing Crossfire Hurricane. He showed that the Democratic National Committee funded false allegations against President Trump, that the DOJ and FBI hid information from the FISA court to wiretap a presidential campaign and that an FBI lawyer lied in the process,” Grassley said.
“As reward for his efforts to uncover the truth, he was attacked by the media, and the DOJ secretly subpoenaed his records. I know a thing or two about this kind of retaliation. My staff received similar treatment during our investigation.”
RedState will bring you more reaction to this big news as the day proceeds.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member