The U.S. Senate on Tuesday voted to advance the nomination of Kash Patel to be the director of the FBI, putting a staunch ally of President Donald Trump and a critic of the bureau on track to run the most prominent U.

Kash Patel inched one step closer to confirmation on Tuesday after the Senate voted along party lines, 48-45, to proceed to his nomination.

GOP senators have praised Patel, 44, from Long Island for his experience as a prosecutor and as a national security aide in the first Trump administration. They have also praised his strong desire to get the FBI back to its core law enforcement duties and stop “weaponizing” politics at the agency.