Raise Your Hand If You’re Surprised: Kash Patel Confirmed
[guest post by Dana]
Kash Patel, a longtime loyalist to President Donald Trump, was confirmed by the Senate on Thursday as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation — an agency he has talked about drastically restructuring while echoing Trump’s claims of the “weaponization” of the bureau’s powers in its Capitol riot investigations and other recent cases.
Patel was opposed by a pair of Republican senators: Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski and Maine’s Susan Collins. But he won support from every other Republican, including Sen. Mitch McConnell, of Kentucky, who had opposed some of Trump’s other nominees. The final vote was 51-49, with all Senate Democrats opposing Patel.
McConnell, who earlier today announced that he would not be seeking re-election, shamed himself with his “yes” vote. How disappointing that he was unwilling to – I’ll quote Nancy Mace here – hold the line for the most qualified candidate. Warnings about Patel’s lack of integrity, lack of qualification, and his repeated claim that the 2020 election was stolen, have informed us as to what type of individual he is, and what he’ll be bringing to the position.
Moreover, there is also this. I wouldn’t trust anything coming out of her mouth, let alone a personal reference for a very powerful position in Washington:
Julie Kelly, a conservative commentator who described herself as a friend of Patel’s, predicted that Patel would “do what needs to be done” at the FBI, “which is not just dismantle this agency from the top headquarters down to 56 FBI field offices, but also hold accountable those agents who have used their unaccountable power to weaponize the most powerful law enforcement agency in the country against the political foes of the regime.”
Birds of a feather flock together, and so far the Trump administration/cabinet all look the same as they prostrate themselves before their leader. And that is not a good look.
I predicted that all of Donald Trump’s picks would be confirmed–including Matt Gaetz. When Gaetz withdrew, people laughed at me. So be it.
Many of the same people said Kash Patel could not be confirmed.
Today, Gaetz is probably livid that he was made to withdraw.
My rationale was: senators are too cowardly to oppose these nominees in public, in numbers great enough to defeat any single nomination. That rationale has not been disproved.
My error on Gaetz was thinking that Trump would push the issue. I’m still not sure why he didn’t.
—Dana
Hello.
Dana (33faf5) — 2/20/2025 @ 12:41 pmNot surprised, all things being equal, Kash Patel is a fine choice.
whembly (b7cc46) — 2/20/2025 @ 12:57 pmI’m still not sure why he didn’t.
Probably something “else.”
Kevin M (a9545f) — 2/20/2025 @ 1:22 pmFour years from now, the next President will have carte blanche to build upon the wreckage. I’m not expecting a Libertarian Utopia.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 2/20/2025 @ 1:24 pmI’m thinking I will not live to see another Republican President.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 2/20/2025 @ 1:25 pmIt is interesting that it took so long. Some Senators must have received private assurances.
Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09) — 2/20/2025 @ 1:27 pm@5
JD Vance busting through the wall to day “Hi there!”…
whembly (b7cc46) — 2/20/2025 @ 1:43 pmPeter Strzok hardest hit.
lloyd (62b299) — 2/20/2025 @ 1:50 pmParents at school board meetings can probably breathe easy for the next four years.
lloyd (62b299) — 2/20/2025 @ 1:51 pmJD Vance busting through the wall to day “Hi there!”…
The only way he’s president is if Trump dies or is impeached.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 2/20/2025 @ 2:02 pmParents at school board meetings can probably breathe easy for the next four years.
If they are AT school board meetings, they clearly aren’t.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 2/20/2025 @ 2:03 pmThis is “defund the police” for rednecks.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 2/20/2025 @ 2:04 pm@10
Don’t tease bruh!
@12
What do you mean?
You’re making much sense lately…
whembly (b7cc46) — 2/20/2025 @ 2:13 pmI’ve heard you can smell them in a Walmart.
lloyd (62b299) — 2/20/2025 @ 2:35 pmWhen you come down it, with all of Trump’s appointees, you come up against “What other choice did Trump have?”
What person of worth would be willing to work for Trump?
nk (68fb6d) — 2/20/2025 @ 2:44 pmKevin that was hilarious!!!
Time123 (5401c9) — 2/20/2025 @ 3:07 pmMy error on Gaetz was thinking that Trump would push the issue. I’m still not sure why he didn’t.
Trump had the choice of Pam Bondi, a long-time pliant partisan hack.
Remember that Bondi took the George Zimmerman case away from the local State Attorney who found no probable cause to prosecute, and gave it to a special prosecutor with the end result still that Zimmerman was acquitted?
nk (68fb6d) — 2/20/2025 @ 3:45 pmnk (68fb6d) — 2/20/2025 @ 2:44 pm
Marco Rubio.
But he got the prominent and semi-independent position of Secretary of State.
He was confirmed 99-0 so the Senate agreed he was a person of worth. Or the best you could get from Trump.
Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09) — 2/20/2025 @ 4:25 pmWhy would I be surprised? As far as I can tell the only qualified person he’s nominated is Rubio.
Nic (120c94) — 2/20/2025 @ 4:54 pmPeople who didn’t vote for Trump and preferred a human vegetable not happy with the people Trump picked to help him lead the government.
I’m shocked.
NJRob (6a57b7) — 2/20/2025 @ 5:29 pmI’ve heard you can smell them in a Walmart.
I go to Walmart a lot. Many of the people who shop there speak Spanish so I don’t think they’re all rednecks.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 2/20/2025 @ 5:30 pmWhat person of worth would be willing to work for Trump?
☑ Greedy
Kevin M (a9545f) — 2/20/2025 @ 5:33 pm☑ Stupid
☑ Dog-like loyalty
Unexpectedly:
Vaccine safety panel long criticized by RFK Jr. told to postpone meeting
I bet there’s a shocked look on Bill Cassidy’s face right now.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 2/20/2025 @ 5:36 pmPeople who didn’t vote for Trump and preferred a human vegetable not happy with the people Trump picked to help him lead the government.
Those were not the only two choices until you lot nominated the traitor.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 2/20/2025 @ 5:37 pmAs far as I can tell the only qualified person he’s nominated is Rubio.
Who is now in his last job.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 2/20/2025 @ 5:38 pm@Kevin@25 He’ll do fine. He’s got a good government pension and health care and he’ll sit on boards or do consulting or be a professor somewhere. If I could retire at 55 and do that, I’d be perfectly happy to do so.
Nic (120c94) — 2/20/2025 @ 5:55 pmYeah, but he won’t be in “the room where it happens.”
Kevin M (a9545f) — 2/20/2025 @ 6:13 pmTrump is sowing the wind.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 2/20/2025 @ 6:17 pm#6 Interesting point, Sammy. (It wouldn’t be the first time a nominee said different things to a president, and senators.)
If he did, I hope he will abide by what he said to the senators, and not be fired, soon.
(In his first term, my general position was that competent, honest people could accept jobs in the Trump administration, as long as they took their oaths to the Constitution seriously — and did not speak for the Loser.)
Jim Miller (8c4eef) — 2/20/2025 @ 6:45 pm@kevin@27 I never got the impression that he really wanted it that badly.
Nic (120c94) — 2/20/2025 @ 7:16 pmNavy fires DEI hire capt. david snowden after his aircraft carrier collided with another ship. Navy said they lost confidence in strait white male DEI hire and try to avoid promoting someone just because they are a strait white male.
asset (12cfa9) — 2/20/2025 @ 7:26 pm@28 The corporate establishment donor class stooges along with the dnc are flying around the tornado with dorthy’s house on their way to OZ. Pelosi is the wicked witch under the falling house.
asset (12cfa9) — 2/20/2025 @ 7:42 pmLiterally the end of the world.
The country badly needs another bland, unmotivated, fungible bureaucrat to take 2 weeks–2 weeks–after the death of a sex fiend in high places to raid his island–and report that “by gosh” there is nothing there.
To largely ignore burnings, damage and deaths in a year of mostly peaceful demonstrations, while assigning 30%+ of its agents to a single day disruption in DC, in which one unarmed demonstrator was shot by a government agent.
Who will blandly report after mass casualty events that the bad guy was “known” to the agency.
Harcourt Fenton Mudd (b14778) — 2/20/2025 @ 8:25 pm@33 You do not understand what is important to the corporate deep state who run (own?) this country The stuff you mentioned isn’t important to them and they could care less what is important to you. What is the corporate media job. Do you know? I do. Epstein’s friends like bubba have to be protected he helps keep the left from taking over the democrat party. The democrat party and the establishment hate trump ;BUT! They fear the left that makes Bernie Sanders and AOC look like moderates who are taking over the discredited democrat party as chucky and hakeem sing and dance. Talking about the GOOD billionaires that fund their consultants and the dnc. You want the law to get tough with george floyd protesters. Show them what law and order means! The deep state prefers disorganized rioters to having black militants shock troops join with the organized left in country wide resistance controlling black communities no go zones like they have in europe. Keeping the left and minorities docile is good for capitalism.
asset (12cfa9) — 2/20/2025 @ 10:01 pm#19 and #29 From what I know, Doug Burgum is well qualified to be Interior Secretary. Chimney sweep, Stanford graduate, founder of Great Plains Software, Microsoft senior VP, and North Dakota governor.
(Given the many losers the Loser has chosen, it isn’t surprising that people like Burgum haven’t received much attention.)
Jim Miller (4802f9) — 2/21/2025 @ 4:29 am