Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s pick to head the FBI, was sworn in on Friday after a narrow Senate confirmation vote Thursday.
Patel was sworn in at the Eisenshower Executive Office Building by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi after being confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the ninth FBI director, succeeding Christopher Wray. Patel, who is Indian American, is the first person of color to become FBI director.
“I am living the American dream,” Patel said after taking his oath of office. “And anyone that thinks the American dream is dead, just look right here. You’re talking to a first-generation Indian kid who’s about to lead the law enforcement community of the greatest nation on God’s green earth. That can’t happen anywhere else.”
FBI NOMINEE KASH PATEL CONFIRMED IN NARROW SENATE VOTE
Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s pick to head the FBI, was sworn in Friday after a narrow Senate confirmation vote Thursday. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
Patel also made a promise to the lawmakers who confirmed him and those who opposed his nomination.
“There will be accountability within the FBI and outside of the FBI, and we will do it through rigorous constitutional oversight starting this weekend.”
Patel has been a longtime Trump ally and a fierce opponent of the investigations into the president. During his confirmation hearing last month, Patel vowed he would not engage in political retribution against agents who worked on the Trump classified documents case and other politically sensitive matters.
He faced a rocky path to confirmation — similar to other fellow Trump picks — despite the Republican majority in the chamber. Democrats on the panel used their political weight to delay Patel’s confirmation vote earlier this month.
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On the Senate floor, top Judiciary Democrat Dick Durbin claimed Patel had been behind recent mass firings at the FBI. Durbin cited what he described as…
