The vote moved Mr. Patel, a Trump loyalist, one step closer to leading the nation’s premier law enforcement agency.

Testifying in a confirmation hearing, Kash Patel, who is nominated to lead the F.B.I., also sought to allay fears about his fitness to serve.

The prospect of legal challenges to President Trump’s purges may be a feature, not a bug, for adherents of sweeping presidential authority.

Pam Bondi, a former Florida attorney general, will be asked if she can stand up to Donald Trump, who has made it clear that he wants the government’s top lawyer to execute his commands.