Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) said she plans to oppose the nomination of Kash Patel to serve as director of the FBI.
"The nomination of Kash Patel to serve as Director of the FBI comes to the Senate against the backdrop of recent personnel actions at the Department of Justice, including the resignations of several career federal prosecutors who felt they were being instructed to act in a manner inconsistent with their ethical obligations," Collins said in a statement released Thursday. “In addition, a questionnaire has been sent to thousands of FBI employees regarding their involvement in certain investigations.”
Collins said such moves “raise the specter that adverse actions could be taken against FBI employees,” and cautioned that any accountability undertaken is “carefully calibrated” so dedicated public servants are not driven away.
“In this context, there is a compelling need for an FBI Director who is decidedly apolitical,” Collins continued. “While Mr. Patel has had 16 years of dedicated public service, his time over the past four years has been characterized by high profile and aggressive political activity. Mr. Patel has made numerous politically charged statements in his book and elsewhere discrediting the work of the FBI, the very institution he has been nominated to lead. These statements, in conjunction with the questionnaire sent to thousands of FBI employees, cast doubt on Mr. Patel’s ability to advance the FBI’s law enforcement mission in a way that is free from the appearance of political motivation.”
She argued his “political profile” would undermine his ability to serve as an apolitical director.
Susan Collins is a NO on Kash Patel pic.twitter.com/CkQMQGlOAr
— Andrew Desiderio (@AndrewDesiderio) February 20, 2025
The Senate voted 51-47 on Thursday to advance Patel’s nomination to be FBI director, with Collins being the only Republican to join Democrats in voting against him. A final confirmation vote will take place around 1:45 p.m.