The U.S. Senate has confirmed former Washington congressional candidate Joe Kent as director of the National Counterterrorism Center.

In a 52-44 vote Wednesday, Senate Republicans pushed through Kent’s nomination to be the top counterterrorism official within the U.S. intelligence community, brushing off objections from Democrats over his associations with white nationalists and involvement in this year’s Signalgate” scandal.

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark, who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, praised Kent for his two decades of military service, including 11 combat deployments as an Army Special Forces soldier, and a stint at the CIA.

“Mr. Kent has dedicated his career to fighting terrorism and keeping Americans safe,” Cotton said.

He cited Kent’s personal sacrifice, pointing to the

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