But we’ve underestimated Trump’s political strength many times before.

Senators, take heed.

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.

Kash Patel invoked his right not to incriminate himself before a grand jury examining whether Donald Trump mishandled national security secrets.

The list has generated unease inside the bureau given the mass firings at the Justice Department in recent days.

Kash Patel exhibited unflinching fealty during Donald Trump’s four years out of office, standing by him during the grim days after the F.B.I. search of the president’s Florida estate in 2022.

The F.B.I. nominee has not only cast his political lot with the president, he has also used the connection to the Trump brand, Truth Social and other Trump-linked entities as a significant source of income over the past several years.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Kash Patel and Tulsi Gabbard, three of President Trump’s high-profile picks, on Thursday will make their cases for confirmation.

The nominee for F.B.I. director made his nonprofit into a publicity machine, selling his children’s book, his clothing brand and his image as Donald Trump’s ultimate loyalist.

The messages showed that F.B.I. investigators took normal bureaucratic steps and precautions when opening an extraordinarily sensitive inquiry into Mr. Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election.

Senators Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins and Mitch McConnell voted against confirming Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary. To Capitol insiders, their decisions weren’t surprising.

Kash Patel, Donald J. Trump’s choice to run the bureau, has made a series of spurious assertions about the Russia, Jan. 6 and classified documents inquiries.

Donald Trump is returning to the White House vowing to seek retribution. Those in his sights are worried both about him — and his supporters.

There is a real risk that the nation’s institutions will succumb to Trump’s campaign of intimidation and not do their jobs.

Media organizations are preparing for what they fear will be a legal and political onslaught from the new administration.

Assessing newer voices, and future strategies.

In his first sit-down broadcast network interview since winning re-election, President-elect Donald J. Trump vowed to pardon Capitol attackers and to try to end automatic citizenship for children of immigrants.

© Dave Sanders for The New York Times

Mr. Patel was directly involved in building a case that two co-founders of Trump Media & Technology mismanaged the debut of Truth Social in 2022. He was paid about $130,000 as a consultant.

© Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times

Applicants for government posts, including inside the Pentagon and the intelligence agencies, say they have been asked about their thoughts on Jan. 6 and who they believe won the 2020 election.

© Doug Mills/The New York Times