The Senate Judiciary Committee approved the pick of President Donald Trump ally Kash Patel to lead the FBI on a party-line vote Thursday, setting up a final confirmation vote on the Senate floor as early as next week.
Patel, who served in the first Trump administration and had branded himself a crusader against the “Deep State” and Trump’s enemies in the media, would lead the federal law enforcement agency.
The committee voted 12-10 to advance Patel’s nomination to the Senate floor. Democrats remain powerless to block his confirmation without help from Republicans, who have a 53-seat majority.
