WASHINGTON—President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of political ally Kash Patel to head up the FBI sent shockwaves through the capital, but it’s in the Capitol where his fate will be decided.
Several Republican senators aren’t making any commitments yet, but Patel has already had a warmer reception than previous nominees.
As with other high-level executive appointments, Patel’s nomination will need to be approved by the Senate, where Republicans enter the upcoming Congress with a relatively comfortable 53 seats to Democrats’ 47.
For Patel’s nomination to be confirmed, he would need to win at least 50 Republicans in the upper chamber; if he were to get exactly 50, then-Vice President JD Vance would presumably cast a tie-breaking vote to push the nomination through.
But Patel, a longtime ally to Trump who hass promised sweeping reforms to the FBI, will need to win the support of several crucial Republicans to get over the finish line.
A handful of names—Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Susan Collins (R-Maine), and John Cornyn (R-Texas), among others—have come up again and again during discussions of Trump’s nominees, as each has been known to break with their party on key votes related to social issues, gun rights, and nominees.
Initially, it was unclear whether the opposition to Patel would rival the experience of former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), Trump’s original pick for attorney general. Gaetz dropped out of the running because of what he perceived as insurmountable opposition among Senate Republicans.
Still, while many lawmakers have yet to make a commitment, Patel has already received a warmer welcome than Gaetz in the upper chamber, with many saying they plan to look into Patel’s background.
Cornyn didn’t answer directly when asked by The Epoch Times whether he supported Patel’s nomination.
“I’m meeting with him next week,” Cornyn said, noting that he was “looking forward to it.”
That was a common sentiment among many Senate Republicans.
Collins told The Epoch Times that she was also waiting for more information before making a decision on Patel.
“I don’t know much about him at all, so I’ve got a lot of homework to do,” she said.
On Dec. 2, Murkowski also declined to weigh in on Patel or other nominees while speaking to reporters, saying she hadn’t slept much the night before because she had a flight.
However, Patel did get a boost from Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), another lawmaker who’s joined Democrats on some key votes.
Tillis said that he’s “a presumptive yes.”
“He and I happen to have a number of mutual acquaintances who say positive things,” Tillis said. “I’m going into it with a positive predisposition.”
But even some of the more party-line Senate Republicans say they’re waiting to learn more.
Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.) declined to answer when asked whether he would support the nominee but said he would “visit with [Patel] personally.”
“I look forward to hearing what his goals are,” Boozman said.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) seemed friendly to the nomination but said he still wants to test Patel’s bona fides.
“Kash Patel must prove to Congress he will reform & restore public trust in FBI,” Grassley wrote.
Some of the chamber’s most outspoken conservative Republicans have already been enthusiastic in their support for Patel.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) told The Epoch Times simply, “I like him.”
Hagerty linked his support to Patel’s promised reforms and past work to counter narratives claiming that Trump colluded with Russia during the 2016 election.
Later investigations debunked that narrative, an FBI scandal now known by the name “Russiagate” among critics.
“Kash Patel uncovered FBI Russiagate corruption and has the right experience to fix the FBI,” Hagerty said in a post on X. “It’s no surprise that the establishment in Washington is lining up to oppose someone who wants to change Washington.”
