The confirmation of Kash Patel as the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) by Senate lawmakers on Thursday, 51-49, marked a significant step in the Trump administration’s transformation of the country’s law enforcement and national security agencies.

Patel, who has pledged to lead an overhaul of the bureau at a time when President Donald Trump’s detractors have accused the administration of leading a purge to end the bureau’s tradition of independence and align the bureau with Trump’s priorities, is now in charge of the nation’s top law enforcement agency after the vote.

Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, both Republicans, joined Democrats in voting against Patel’s confirmation. However, Patel won by a slim margin thanks to the backing of the remaining Senate Republicans, and many praised the new FBI director as a change agent.

“In recent years, the American public has become less trusting of the FBI. Before Thursday’s vote, Senate Majority Leader John Thune stated, “A lot of that is due to the belief that politics has tainted the FBI’s vital work.”

Thune stated, “All law enforcement must cooperate and concentrate on the actual threats confronting our nation.” “I am excited to collaborate with Mr. Patel to restore the FBI’s integrity and refocus it on its vital mission.”

Similar opinions have been expressed by other Republicans.

Before sending Patel’s nomination to the full Senate earlier this month, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley stated, “Mr. Patel knows it, Mr. Patel exposed it, and Mr. Patel was targeted.” He also said, “The FBI has been infected by political bias and weaponized against the American people.”

Speaking earlier this month about the necessity of Patel leading the FBI, Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn stated, “The American people are sick and tired of two tiers of access, two tiers of treatment, and two tiers of justice.”