United News of Bangladesh

A framework economic deal with the United States is ready, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday, but security guarantees that Kyiv views as vital remain to be decided and a full agreement could hinge on talks in Washington as early as Friday. The framework deal is a first step toward a comprehensive agreement that will be subject to ratification by Ukraine’s parliament, Zelenskyy said during a news conference in Kyiv. Ukraine needs to know where the United States stands on its continued military support, Zelenskyy said. He said expects to have a wide-ranging substantive conversation with US President Donald Trump during a visit to Washington. “I want to coordinate with the US,” Zelenskyy said. Zelenskyy said that the main topics that he wants to discuss with Trump are whether the US plans to halt military aid and, if so, whether Ukraine would be able to purchase weapons directly from the US. He also wants to know whether Ukraine can use frozen Russian assets for weapons investments and whether Washington plans to lift sanctions on Russia. Earlier, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal confirmed that Ukraine and the United States have reached preliminary agreement on a broad economic deal that includes US access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals amid its war with Russia. US and Ukraine near an economic deal with mineral rights but no security promise, officials say After days of negotiations, Ukraine and the US will sign the preliminary agreement, but with further details of a full agreement — including US security guarantees that Kyiv officials view as vital — still to be worked out, Shmyhal said on Ukrainian public television. Since returning to office last month, Trump let Ukraine know that he wanted something in return for tens of billions of dollars in US help to fend off the full-scale invasion that Russia launched just over three years ago on Feb. 24, 2022. Trump has abruptly ditched some previous Washington policies. He scrapped efforts to isolate Russian President Vladimir Putin and cast doubt on US support for its European allies. That has brought momentous geopolitical shifts that could reset the war’s path this year. The preliminary agreement sets out the terms and conditions of an investment fund for the rebuilding of Ukraine, Shmyhal said.

US President Donald Trump has announced a plan to introduce a “gold card” for wealthy foreigners, allowing them to live and work in the United States with a path to citizenship in exchange for a $5 million fee. Speaking from the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump declared, “We’re going to be selling a gold card. You have a green card; this is a gold card. We’re going to be putting a price on that card of about $5 million, and that’s going to give you green card privileges, plus it’s going to be a route to citizenship. And wealthy people will be coming into our country by buying this card.” The President indicated that sales of the cards would commence within two weeks, suggesting that millions could be sold. When asked whether Russian oligarchs would be eligible to purchase the card, Trump responded, “Yeah, possibly. I know some Russian oligarchs that are very nice people.” Replacement for the EB-5 Programme Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who stood alongside Trump during the announcement, confirmed that the gold card would replace the existing EB-5 immigrant investor visa programme. This programme, established in 1992, allows foreign investors to obtain green cards by making significant investments in projects that create jobs for American workers. “They’ll have to go through vetting, of course,” Lutnick assured, “to make sure they’re wonderful world-class global citizens.” Trump criticises USAID funding for India, sparks diplomatic tensions Under the EB-5 programme, investors must contribute a minimum of $1.05 million, or $800,000 if the investment is made in economically distressed zones designated as targeted employment areas. The programme has previously been used to finance major property developments linked to Trump and his family. Criticism and Legal Challenges The EB-5 programme has faced bipartisan criticism in Congress, with lawmakers arguing that it has strayed from its original intent and requires reform. During Trump’s first term, his administration attempted to increase the minimum investment threshold for targeted economic areas to $900,000 and for other locations to $1.8 million. However, a federal judge ruled against these changes in 2021, citing improper appointment of the acting Homeland Security secretary who authorised the policy. The Biden administration subsequently renewed the programme in 2022, raising investment requirements to their current levels. The introduction of the gold card scheme marks a significant shift in US immigration policy, with Trump positioning it as a means to attract affluent individuals while generating substantial revenue for the government. The plan is expected to spark debate in Congress, where lawmakers may challenge its implications for the broader immigration system. Source: CNN

The Trump administration is creating a registry for all people who are in the United States illegally, and those who don't self-report could face fines or prosecution, immigration officials announced Tuesday. Everyone who is in the U.S. illegally must register, give fingerprints and provide an address, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement. It cited a section of the Immigration and Nationality Act — the complex immigration law — as justification for the registration process, which would apply to anyone 14 and older. The announcement comes as the administration seeks to make good on campaign promises to carry out mass deportations of people in the country illegally and seal the border to future asylum-seekers. “An alien’s failure to register is a crime that could result in a fine, imprisonment, or both," the statement said. "For decades, this law has been ignored — not anymore.” On its website, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service said it would soon create a form and process for registration. Trump, Musk’s cost-cutting drive echoes Clinton’s ‘Reinventing Government’—but with key differences In one of his 10 inauguration day executive orders related to immigration, President Donald Trump initially outlined plans for creating a registry and required that Homeland Security “immediately announce and publicize information about the legal obligation of all previously unregistered aliens in the United States to comply." It was not immediately clear how many people living in the country illegally would voluntarily come forward and give the federal government information about who they are and where they're living. But failure to register would be considered a crime, and the administration has said its initial priority target for deportation is people who've committed crimes in the U.S. The National Immigration Law Center, an immigration advocacy group, said in a posting on its website before the Tuesday night announcement that “the Alien Registration Act of 1940 is the only time the U.S. government carried out a comprehensive campaign to require all noncitizens to register.” The organization said under that process, people had to go to their local post office to register, and the goal was to identify “potential national security threats broadly characterized as communist or subversive.” The group warned that the registry was meant to help find potential targets for deportation. “Any attempt by the Trump administration to create a registration process for noncitizens previously unable to register would be used to identify and target people for detention and deportation,” the organization said.

A New Jersey man has been found guilty of attempted murder for attacking author Salman Rushdie during a lecture in New York in 2022. A jury delivered the verdict on February 21 after less than two hours of deliberation, also convicting 27-year-old Hadi Matar of assault for injuring another individual on stage with Rushdie at the Chautauqua Institution. Matar rushed the stage on August 12, 2022, stabbing Rushdie more than a dozen times in front of a live audience. The attack left the 77-year-old novelist blind in one eye. Rushdie testified during the seven-day trial, providing graphic details of his life-threatening injuries and the long road to recovery. Matar displayed no visible reaction to the verdict, standing silently as it was read. As he was escorted from the courtroom in handcuffs, he muttered, "Free Palestine," a phrase he had repeated throughout the trial. The judge scheduled Matar’s sentencing for April 23, where he could face up to 25 years in prison, the maximum penalty for second-degree attempted murder. District Attorney Jason Schmidt emphasized the strength of the video evidence, which he described as "rock solid." "We had multiple angles showing the attack," Schmidt stated. "This case could not be clearer." He further remarked that Matar had arrived as a visitor but would now remain in New York State for the next 25 years. Salman Rushdie's memoir of his attack is among 12 books up for a top nonfiction prize During closing arguments, Matar’s defense attorney Andrew Brautigan argued that prosecutors failed to prove intent to kill, which is crucial for an attempted murder conviction. However, Schmidt countered that repeatedly stabbing someone in the face and neck is an unmistakable attempt to take their life. Rushdie, widely known for his novel Midnight’s Children, testified that he believed he was dying when the masked attacker rushed the stage. He displayed his now-blinded right eye to the jury, usually hidden behind dark glasses. Schmidt reinforced the severity of the attack by replaying footage that captured the stabbing from multiple angles. The video also recorded audience reactions, including gasps and screams. Institution staff and attendees identified Matar as the assailant. Co-panelist Henry Reese, who was also wounded in the attack, sustained a forehead gash, leading to Matar’s additional assault conviction. Rushdie spent 17 days in a Pennsylvania hospital and over three weeks in a New York City rehabilitation center. He recounted his arduous recovery in his 2024 memoir, Knife. PEN America welcomed the conviction, calling it a "crucial step toward justice" and a reminder of the ongoing threats faced by writers challenging authority. Throughout the trial, Matar frequently took notes and occasionally smiled or laughed with his legal team during breaks. His lawyers did not call any witnesses, and Matar declined to testify in his defense. A separate federal indictment alleges Matar was inspired by a 2006 speech from a Hezbollah leader endorsing the longstanding fatwa against Rushdie. Iran’s Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued the decree in 1989 after the publication of The Satanic Verses, which was deemed blasphemous by many Muslims. Salman Rushdie makes rare public address after attack, warns free expression under threat While Rushdie spent years in hiding, he had resumed public appearances in recent decades, believing the threat had diminished. Matar now faces a federal terrorism-related trial, which will be held in U.S. District Court in Buffalo. Source: With input from agency

Attorneys for federal workers said Monday in a lawsuit that billionaire Trump adviser Elon Musk had violated the law with his weekend demand that employees explain their accomplishments or risk being fired. The updated lawsuit, which was filed in federal court in California and was provided to The Associated Press, is trying to block mass layoffs pursued by Musk and President Donald Trump, including any connected to the email distributed by the Office of Personnel Management on Saturday. The office, which functions as a human resources agency for the federal government, said employees needed to detail five things that they did last week by end of day on Monday. “No OPM rule, regulation, policy, or program has ever, in United States history, purported to require all federal workers to submit reports to OPM,” said the amended complaint, which was filed on behalf of unions, businesses veterans, and conservation groups. It called the threat of mass firings “one of the most massive employment frauds in the history of this country.” Musk, who is leading the Republican president's efforts to overhaul and downsize the federal government, continued to threaten federal workers on Monday morning even as confusion spread through the administration and some top officials told employees not to comply. Trump, Musk’s cost-cutting drive echoes Clinton’s ‘Reinventing Government’—but with key differences “Those who do not take this email seriously will soon be furthering their career elsewhere,” Musk posted early in the morning on X, his social media platform. He also escalated Trump's demand for employees to stop working remotely. “Starting this week, those who still fail to return to office will be placed on administrative leave,” Musk posted. The latest round of turmoil began over the weekend, when Trump posted on Truth Social, his social media website, that “ELON IS DOING A GREAT JOB, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE HIM GET MORE AGGRESSIVE." Musk followed up by saying “all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week.” He claimed that "failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.” The directive echoed how the billionaire entrepreneur has managed his own companies. The Office of Personnel Management sent out its own request afterwards. “Please reply to this email with approx. 5 bullets of what you accomplished last week and cc your manager," the message said.

In an unprecedented move, Elon Musk has given federal employees less than 48 hours to explain their achievements from the past week, causing confusion within key government agencies. Musk, known for his cost-cutting initiatives as President Donald Trump’s adviser, announced the directive on his social media platform, X, on Saturday. Musk posted that in line with Trump’s instructions, all federal workers would soon receive an email asking them to outline their accomplishments from the previous week. Failure to respond would be treated as a resignation. Shortly after, many federal employees, including court staff and federal prison officials, received a brief email requesting a list of five accomplishments, with the deadline set for Monday night at 11:59 p.m. The unusual request has created chaos within multiple federal agencies, including the National Weather Service, State Department, and federal courts, as employees scrambled to verify the authenticity of the directive. In some cases, supervisors instructed their teams not to reply. Musk’s efforts to downsize the federal workforce have already led to widespread layoffs and buyouts in agencies such as Veterans Affairs, Health and Human Services, and the IRS. Labor unions, including the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), quickly denounced the order, threatening legal action and accusing Musk and Trump of disrespecting federal employees. Musk, celebrating his new role, recently vowed to cut bureaucratic waste, using a symbolic chainsaw to represent his efforts. The Office of Personnel Management confirmed the directive but stated that individual agencies would determine their next steps. Court officials and the National Weather Service have advised employees not to respond until the email's authenticity is confirmed.  

US President Donald Trump has criticised the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for allegedly allocating funds to interfere in India's electoral process, questioning why American taxpayers' money was being sent to the country. Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington on Sunday, President Trump alleged that India already benefits from high tariffs on American goods and does not require financial assistance for its elections. "Eighteen million dollars for helping India with its elections. Why the hell? Why don’t we just go to old paper ballots and let them help us with our elections, right? Voter ID. Wouldn’t that be nice? We’re giving money to India for elections. They don’t need money," Trump remarked. The figure quoted by Trump could not be independently verified. A prior report from the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) suggested that $21 million had been allocated for "voter turnout" in India. "They take advantage of us pretty good. One of the highest tariffed nations in the world. We try and sell something, they have a 200 per cent tariff. And then we’re giving them a lot of money to help them with their election," he continued. India Responds to Trump's Allegations India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar addressed the concerns raised by Trump, stating that the government was looking into the matter. Trump says $29 million in USAID money went to firm 'with just 2 people' "Some information has been put out there by the Trump administration people, and obviously, that is concerning. I think, as a government, we’re looking into it. My sense is that the facts will come out. USAID was allowed here in good faith, to do good faith activities; now, suggestions are being laid out from America that there are activities which are in bad faith. It’s worrisome, and if there’s something to it, then the country should know who the people are involved in it," Jaishankar said. Meanwhile, the opposition Congress party has demanded a white paper on all foreign aid received by India from developmental agencies. Congress has also called for legal action against those propagating what it terms "baseless allegations" of foreign interference in Indian democracy. Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera countered Trump’s claim, stating, "More Indian news media outlets have fact-checked the claim by BJP and Modi government’s minister as untrue. Funds went to Bangladesh, not India; although India received USAID funds, it was not for increasing voter turnout." Allegations of Funding in Bangladesh In addition to his claims about India, Trump also alleged that an unnamed firm in Bangladesh had received $29 million in USAID funding. "Got USD 29 million. They got a cheque. Can you imagine? You have a little firm, you get 10,000 here, 10,000 there, and then we get 29 million from the United States government. There are two people working in that firm... I think they’re very happy, they’re very rich. They’ll be on the cover of a very good business magazine pretty soon for being great scammers," Trump alleged. Congress has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to personally address these claims and refute the allegations. The party has also criticised the ruling BJP, accusing it of exploiting Trump’s comments to advance conspiracy theories. Judge blocks Trump’s plan to place 2,200 USAID employees on paid leave "There is no record of a Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening (CEPPS) programme matching the US government’s description in India. CEPPS did have a $21 million USAID contract, but it was for Bangladesh, not India," Khera stated. BJP Dismisses Congress’s Defence BJP leader Ajay Alok dismissed Congress’s statements as "baseless," asserting that the Modi government has significantly curtailed foreign aid flows. "We have already shown that the government got $2,119 million between 2004-14 and just $1.5 million between 2014-25. We are shutting down these things. The Indian government is now acting, the US government has issued a list of who has got the money from where... this is part of a deep state. The Bharat Jodo Yatra was also being funded from this money," Alok claimed. With both the Indian and Bangladeshi governments yet to issue a formal statement on the matter, the controversy is likely to continue, further complicating diplomatic relations between India and the United States ahead of key elections in both nations. Source: Agencies

President Donald Trump said Saturday that “nobody's ever seen anything" like his administration's sweeping effort to fire thousands of federal employees and shrink the size of government, congratulating himself for “dominating” Washington and sending bureaucrats “packing.” Addressing an adoring crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference just outside the nation's capital, Trump promised, “We’re going to forge a new and lasting political majority that will drive American politics for generations to come.” The president argues that voters gave him a mandate to overhaul government while cracking down on the U.S.-Mexico border and extending tax cuts that were the signature policy of his first administration. Trump clicked easily back into campaign mode during his hour-plus speech, predicting that the GOP will continue to win and defy history, which has shown that a president’s party typically struggles during midterm elections. He insisted of Republicans, “I don’t think we’ve been at this level, maybe ever.” “Nobody's ever seen anything like this," Trump said, likening his new administration's opening month to being on a roll through the first four holes of a round of golf — which he said gives him confidence for the fifth hole. Trump has empowered Elon Musk to help carry out the firings, and the billionaire suggested Saturday that more might be coming. “Consistent with President @realDonaldTrump’s instructions, all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week,” Musk posted on X, which he owns. “Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.” Later, an “HR” email was sent to federal workers across numerous agencies titled “What did you do last week” and asking that recipients “reply with approx. 5 bullets of what you accomplished last week and cc your manager.” It cautioned against sending classified information, and gave a deadline of Monday at 11:59 p.m. ET. Trump also said during the speech that he'd carry out harsher immigration policies. But those efforts have so far largely been overshadowed by his administration's mass federal firings. He announced that one entity with a workforce that had been significantly reduced, the U.S. Agency for International Development, would have its Washington office taken over by Customs and Border Protection officials. Trump says $29 million in USAID money went to firm 'with just 2 people' “The agency’s name has been removed from its former building,” he said. The president also repeated his previous promises to scrutinize the country's gold depository at Fort Knox. “Would anybody like to join us?” he asked to cheers from the crowd at the suggestion that administration forces might converge on the complex. “We want to see if the gold is still there.” But Trump also devoted large chunks of his address to reliving last year's presidential race, jeering at former President Joe Biden and mispronouncing the first name of former Vice President Kamala Harris — his Election Day opponent — gleefully proclaiming, “I haven’t said that name in a while.” He went on to use an expletive to describe Biden’s handling of border security, despite noting that evangelical conservatives have urged him not to use foul language. Trump had kinder words for Chinese President Xi Jinping, saying “I happen to like” him, while saying, “we’ve been treated very unfairly by China and many other countries.” On the sidelines of the conference, Trump met with conservative Polish President Andrzej Duda amid rising tensions in Europe over Russia’s war in Ukraine. After he took the stage, Trump saluted Duda and another atendee, Argentine President Javier Milei. Trump called Duda “a fantastic man and a great friend of mine” and said “you must be doing something right, hanging out with Trump." He noted that Milei was “a MAGA guy, too, Make Argentina Great Again." Poland is a longtime ally of Ukraine. Trump upended recent U.S. policy by dispatching top foreign policy advisers to Saudi Arabia for direct talks with Russian officials that were aimed at ending fighting in Ukraine. Those meetings did not include Ukrainian or European officials, which has alarmed U.S. allies. Trump is meeting on Monday at the White House with French President Emmanuel Macron and Thursday with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Trump also has begun a public tiff with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whom the U.S. president called a “dictator” while falsely suggesting that Ukraine started the war — though on Friday Trump acknowledged that Russia attacked its neighbor. Trump administration takes aim at $4b in funding for California high-speed rail Trump told the CPAC crowd, “I’m dealing with President Zelenskyy. I’m dealing with President Putin” and added of fighting in Ukraine, "It affects Europe. It doesn’t really affect us.” Zelenskyy has said Trump is living in a Russian-made “disinformation space.” For much of the time since Russia invaded in February 2022, the United States, under Biden, pledged that Ukraine would play in any major effort to end the fighting, vowing “nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.” Trump's administration has dispensed with that notion, as the Republican president has accelerated his push to find an endgame to the war. “I think we’re pretty close to a deal, and we better be close to a deal,” Trump said Saturday. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt subsequently told reporters that Trump and his team were focused on negotiations to end the war and “the President is very confident we can get it done this week,” though such a tight timeline seems difficult. Leavitt is one of three administration officials who face a lawsuit from The Associated Press on First- and Fifth-Amendment grounds. The AP says the three are punishing the news agency for editorial decisions they oppose. The White House says the AP is not following an executive order to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. Later, Trump hosted a formal dinner at the White House for governors from around the country who were in Washington for a meeting of the National Governors Association. Trump said Republicans and Democrats can always call him and joked that he might address Democratic concerns first. “Let us all recommit ourselves to strengthening America and making it something even more special than it has been," Trump said. “And we’re going to be one united nation, and maybe together, this is going to be easier if we start uniting." The president, who wore a tuxedo and bow tie, was accompanied by first lady Melania Trump, who had her own tuxedo but no tie. Trump told those gathered that his wife helped organize the event. “She worked very hard on making sure everything was beautiful,” he said to applause. Trump also said he'd give a tour of the Lincoln Bedroom after the meal to anyone who wished to see it. Ukrainians rally around their president after Trump seeks to denigrate him “I think maybe it's like the most important room in the whole country," he said. “The most important bedroom definitely.”

The Trump administration is once again targeting California's controversial high-speed rail project, with federal transportation officials on Thursday announcing an investigation and possible withdrawal of about $4 billion in federal funding. Voters first approved $10 billion in bond money in 2008 for a project designed to shuttle riders between San Francisco and Los Angeles in less than three hours. It was slated to cost $33 billion and be finished by 2020. But the project has been beset by funding challenges, cost overruns and delays. Now, state officials are focused on a 171-mile (275-kilometer) stretch connecting the Central Valley cities of Bakersfield and Merced, which is set to be operating by 2033. The entire San Francisco to Los Angeles line will now cost an estimated $106 billion to finish and officials hope to complete it in the next 20 years if there is money. “I am directing my staff to review and determine whether the (California High-Speed Rail Authority) has followed through on the commitments it made to receive billions of dollars in federal funding. If not, I will have to consider whether that money could be given to deserving infrastructure projects elsewhere in the United States,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said at a news conference in Los Angeles. President Donald Trump cancelled nearly $1 billion in federal funding for the high-speed rail project in 2019, during his first term. The Biden administration later restored the funding and, in December 2023, allocated $3.3 billion more. Losing that money would be a major blow to the project. The rail authority's most recent business plan counts on receiving up to $8 billion in federal money to help close a funding gap. Ian Choudri, CEO of the California’s High-Speed Rail Authority, which oversees planning and funding for the project, said he welcomes the investigation. “With multiple independent federal and state audits completed, every dollar is accounted for, and we stand by the progress and impact of this project,” Choudri said. He said the project has created nearly 15,000 jobs and that more than 50 major structures have been completed so far. Several Republican Congress members have taken aim at the project over its costs. On Thursday, Republican Rep. Kevin Kiley, who represents 3rd Congressional District that stretches alongside much of the state’s border with Nevada and includes Sacramento’s northeastern suburbs, called the California high-speed rail “the worst public infrastructure failure in U.S. history.” Apple unveils a souped-up and more expensive version of its lowest priced iPhone "There is no plausible scenario where the cost to federal or state taxpayers can be justified. It is past time to stop throwing good money after bad, and we must formally end this project,” said Kiley, who introduced a bill earlier this year to make the project ineligible for further federal funding. Kiley joined Duffy in Los Angeles' Union Station for the announcement of the probe. Those present were interrupted at times by booing by about 30 demonstrators. The protesters also chanted “build the rail!” and held up signs that read “CA has no king” and “Don’t delay our train.” Eli Lipmen, executive director of Move LA, an organization that advocates for efficient public transit systems, said the high-speed train project remains popular among many Californians. “They said they’re going to start an investigation, but come on, this is a sham investigation,” Lipmen, who was at Union Station during the announcement, told KABC-TV. Greg Regan and Shari Semelsberger, president and secretary-treasurer of the Transportation Trades Department coalition that includes all the country's rail unions, said the project is the most ambitious and innovative transportation project in the country and urged Trump to become “a Builder-in-Chief by bringing high-speed rail to America.” “Building ambitious projects requires bold leadership and a commitment to getting the job done. Just last year, President Trump complained that the United States does not have bullet trains similar to Japan. We agree with him that it is past time for our country to have these kinds of modern, efficient, high-capacity transportation systems," they said in a statement.

New FBI Director Kash Patel has told senior officials that he plans to relocate up to 1,000 employees from Washington to field offices around the country and move an additional 500 to a bureau facility in Huntsville, Alabama, according to a person with knowledge of the discussions. The plans were communicated Friday, the same day Patel was sworn in at the White House, and are in keeping with his oft-stated vision of reducing the size of the FBI’s footprint in Washington and having more of a presence in offices in other cities. “Director Patel has made clear his promise to the American public that FBI agents will be in communities focused on combatting violent crime. He has directed FBI leadership to implement a plan to put this promise into action,” the FBI said in a statement that did not provide any specifics. The person who discussed Patel’s vision did so on condition of anonymity to describe plans that have not been made public. Patel was confirmed by the Senate on Thursday by a 51-49 margin, with two Republican lawmakers, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, breaking party ranks and voting against him. US Senate moves forward on confirming Kash Patel as FBI director At his swearing-in ceremony, Patel called the opportunity to lead the nation’s premier federal law enforcement agency the “greatest honor” of his life. “I think he’ll go down as the best ever at that position,” President Donald Trump told reporters Friday ahead of the ceremony, which was conducted by Attorney General Pam Bondi and attended by Republican supporters in Congress, including Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio. Trump added that the "agents love this guy." Patel will inherit an FBI gripped by turmoil as the Justice Department over the past month has forced out a group of senior bureau officials and made a highly unusual demand for the names of thousands of agents who participated in investigations related to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. Democrats had for weeks sounded the alarm about the appointment, saying they fear Patel will operate as a loyalist for Trump and abuse the FBI's law enforcement powers to go after the president's adversaries. They've cited past comments, such as his suggestion before he was nominated that he would “come after” anti-Trump “conspirators” in the government and media. Patel sought to assuage those concerns at his confirmation hearing last month, saying he intended to follow the Constitution and had no interest in pursuing retribution, though he also said at his swearing-in Friday that reporters had written “fake, malicious, slanderous and defamatory” stories about him. Meanwhile, Republicans angry over what they see as law enforcement bias against conservatives during the Democratic Biden administration, as well as criminal investigations into Trump, have rallied behind Patel as the right person for the job. Patel has repeatedly spoken of his desire to implement major changes at the FBI. That includes a smaller presence in Washington — he once said he thought the decades-old FBI headquarters in Washington should be closed down and reopened as a “museum of the deep state” — and a renewed emphasis on the bureau’s traditional crime-fighting duties rather than the intelligence-gathering work that has come to define its mandate over the past two decades as national security threats have proliferated. Trump supports giving Americans part of DOGE savings as dividends He said Friday that the FBI's “national security mission” was equally important as its efforts to fight violent crime and drug overdoses. “Anyone that wishes to do harm to our way of life and our citizens, here and abroad, will face the full wrath of the DOJ and FBI," Patel said. "If you seek to hide in any corner of this country or planet, we will put on the world’s largest manhunt and we will find you and we will decide your end-state.” A former Justice Department counterterrorism prosecutor, Patel was selected in November to replace Christopher Wray, who was picked by Trump in 2017 and who resigned at the conclusion of the Biden administration to make way for his chosen successor.