On Tuesday, the United States Senate moved one step closer to a confirmation vote for President Trump's pick to head the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with a 48-45 procedural vote on the motion to invoke cloture on Kash Patel's nomination.

As we noted on Feb. 13, momentum was building for the nomination to succeed to a floor vote, after a vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee for the role as chief of the nation's top law enforcement agency forwarded Patel's nomination for a full Senate vote this week. The vote came after Democrats on the committee did their best to hurt Patel's nomination:

But wait, there’s more: FBI Director nominee Kash Patel survived his Senate Judiciary Committee vote Thursday, and his nomination will now head to the full Senate for a final yay-or-nay confirmation showdown next week. The vote was an unsurprising party line 12-10.

As we reported, Patel’s confirmation was heated as Democrats tried to smear him at every turn and did everything in their power to undermine his credibility. He mostly swatted them away like flies and made them look like fools. 

Momentum: Senate Judiciary Committee Splits on Party Lines Over Kash Patel for FBI Director

The former chief of staff at the Department of Defense, Patel has been a strong support of the president, especially over the nonstop lawfare against Trump during the Biden administration, and stumped for him throughout the 2024 campaign. He has not been silent about how things would change, if he had a chance to correct course at the FBI. It's also telling that Patel was one of Trump's early nominations, in late Nov. 2024.

'Only The Beginning': Kash Patel Makes Explosive Comment on Merchan, the New FBI, and Ending Lawfare

UPDATE: Trump Nominates MAGA Favorite Kash Patel As FBI Director; Patel Reacts

It's expected that the vote on Patel's confirmation will take place on Thursday.

As this is a developing story, RedState will provide updates as they become available.

Read related: EXCLUSIVE: Kash Patel Talks His Latest Book, 'Plot Against The King 3,' and Trump Assassination Attempts