The U.S. Senate on Thursday confirmed Kash Patel, a 44-year-old Indian-American and ally of President Donald J. Trump, as F.B.I. director, in a narrow 51-to-49 vote after a contentious process. For detractors, Patel’s ascent to lead America’s top law enforcement agency raises questions about its impartiality under a Trump loyalist.

The vote split along party lines, with supporters praising Patel as a reformer to fix a “biased” F.B.I., and critics warning he could turn it into a political tool. Unlike in India, where the C.B.I. director is chosen by a high-level panel, Patel was nominated by Trump in November 2024 and faced a 100 member Senate vote approval.

Career Snapshot

Born in 1980 to Indian immigrants in New York, Patel earned degrees from the University of Richmond (2002) and Pace University (law, 2005). He began as a public defender in Florida, later becoming a terrorism prosecutor by 2013. In 2017, he joined the House Intelligence Committee, probing the F.B.I.’s Trump-Russia inquiry, earning Trump’s trust. He held national security roles, served as Pentagon chief of staff in 2020, and later wrote Government Gangsters (2023), staying close to Trump.

Confirmation Battle

Trump picked Patel to replace Christopher Wray, who resigned in January 2025. The Senate Judiciary Committee grilled Patel on January 30 over past radical remarks, approving him February 13 in a 12-to-10 party-line vote. The full Senate vote saw two Republicans join all 47 Democrats against him, but a 53-seat GOP majority secured his win—far short of Wray’s 92 votes in 2017.

F.B.I.’s Future

Patel takes over an agency shaken by eight senior exits since Trump’s January 20 inauguration. Backed by the support of a collective 6.8 lakh officers from various U.S. law enforcement organizations, he vows to “restore trust,” but Democrats allege a “purge” and seek probes—echoing concerns over institutional autonomy. His 10-year term will test the F.B.I.’s independence.