In what appears to be a political course-change for the ages, Alaska's own nominally Republican senior Senator, Princess Lisa Murkowski, suddenly seems to be speaking in approving tones of FBI Director Kash Patel, whose nomination she opposed.

But that approval seems to be limited to a few issues, although they are serious issues.

During a Senate committee hearing this week, Murkowski engaged in a substantive exchange with Director Patel, focusing on the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls crisis and Alaska’s worsening fentanyl epidemic.

“This is a week that a lot of Alaskans are paying attention to,” Murkowski began, referencing the national recognition of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Awareness Day. She commended past efforts like Operation Lady Justice under the Trump administration and noted Patel’s new initiative, Operation Not Forgotten, which she said must be more than a name—it must come with real resources.

Kash Patel seems to be already on the case, as it were.

“I need to be able to give folks back home the comfort that they need to know that these cases … will not be dropped,” Murkowski told Patel. “What can you share with me this morning?”

Patel, in response, highlighted his recent meetings with tribal leaders and families of victims, including the parents of 14-year-old Emily Pike, whose unsolved murder continues to haunt a reservation community in Arizona. 

Senator Murkowski also brought up the fentanyl issue that is troubling Alaska, like so many places, and the FBI Director is ahead of the curve on that, as well:

The discussion also touched on the rising tide of fentanyl deaths in the state, with Murkowski pointing to a 40% increase in overdose fatalities in 2023, making Alaska the only state where numbers are still climbing. “We ought to be able to intercept drugs more effectively,” she said, noting Alaska’s limited access points for trafficking.

Patel assured her that the FBI is increasing resources in Alaska and pledged to continue collaborating on both fentanyl interdiction and the MMIWG crisis.

On the issue of missing native women, we should note that this isn't an issue confined to Alaska, nor native women for that matter. Alaska, though, is different than the other states in that there is no reservation system. Indian reservations in the lower 48 generally have their own tribal authorities and law enforcement, but natives in Alaska are not under such a system. The tribes own land, generally set up in corporations, but the natives here rely on the Alaska State Troopers for law enforcement, just like the rest of us, and those troopers are very thin on the ground.

As for fentanyl, that's a nationwide problem. But one would think smuggling this and other contraband into Alaska would be an easier thing to get a grip on, since there are only two ground ports of entry, along with two major airports and the various harbors. Director Patel seems to think so.

See Also: Nick Begich III Scores a Big Win for Alaska - But There's a Catch

Alaskans: This Is All You Need to Know About Senator Lisa Murkowski

Don't get me wrong. Princess Lisa Murkowski isn't about to start waving a MAGA flag and shouting her support for President Trump. But in this isolated incident, she's doing her job - looking out for the people of Alaska - and she seems to have set aside her Trump Derangement Syndrome to recognize a Trump appointee who's actually good at the job she didn't want him to have.

The Democrat Party has never been less popular as voters reject its globalist agenda.

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