In the final days before the August recess, Senate Republicans are making a strong push to confirm dozens of President Donald Trump's appointees to various important roles throughout his administration.

On Wednesday, the Senate finally confirmed former Special Operations Forces soldier Joe Kent to serve as the director of the National Counter Terrorism Center within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Breitbart reported.

Unsurprisingly, Senate Democrats staunchly opposed Kent's nomination and attempted to scuttle his appointment with smears and innuendos, but were unable to convince more than just one Republican to vote against him.

Nomination announced

In February, President Trump nominated Kent to serve as the next head of the NCTC, and said in a Truth Social post at that time, "It is my pleasure to nominate Joe Kent as the Director of the National Counter Terrorism Center. As a Soldier, Green Beret, and CIA Officer, Joe has hunted down terrorists and criminals his entire adult life."

"Above all, Joe knows the terrible cost of terrorism, losing his wonderful wife, Shannon, a Great American Hero, who was killed in the fight against ISIS," he continued. "Joe continues to honor her legacy by staying in the fight."

Trump added, "Joe will help us keep America safe by eradicating all terrorism, from the jihadists around the World, to the cartels in our backyard."

"It’s an honor to serve our nation again"

On Wednesday, more than five months after he was first nominated, Senate Republicans were finally able to confirm Kent to his new position as the NCTC director with a 52-44 vote.

In a Wednesday evening X post, Kent wrote, "It’s an honor to serve our nation again & to be back in the fight against terrorism. Thank you President Trump & DNI Gabbard for your confidence in my leadership."

"NCTC will relentlessly pursue & defeat our nation’s enemies. In honor of our fallen, we fight on," he added.

Democrats tried to smear the veteran nominee

The Associated Press reported that Kent was confirmed by a 52-44 vote in the Senate, with Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) being the only Republican to cross the aisle and side with Democrats against the nominee, who'd already been working for Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard before his confirmation.

As the new head of the NCTC, Kent will oversee the detection and analysis of terrorist threats from not just radical Islamists but also Latin American gangs, criminal cartels, and other foreign and domestic bad actors who wish to harm Americans.

Kent, who unsuccessfully ran for Congress twice in Washington state, previously served as a U.S. Army Green Beret, with 11 overseas deployments, and continued to serve the nation in the CIA following his military career.

None of his dedicated service mattered to Senate Democrats, though, as they instead were harshly critical of the nominee for past associations with purported "far-right figures," as well as his beliefs in supposed "conspiracy theories," including that federal agents instigated the Jan. 6 Capitol riot of 2021 and that President Trump actually won the 2020 election but was cheated out of the presidency.

The Democratic opposition to Kent no longer matters, however, and he will soon be hard at work once again to help keep Americans safe from the ever-present threat of terrorism.