A prominent Republican senator, who previously refrained from endorsing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, is now fully committed to another crucial Trump nominee.

Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina announced on Wednesday that he will support Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s choice to lead the FBI, despite his status as a “wildcard” ahead of Hegseth’s confirmation vote, according to Fox News.

In a notable show of support, Tillis will formally introduce Patel during his Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on Thursday morning. Tillis has assured us that his remarks will be concise and direct.

“I will be sharing about 700 words on his background, his upbringing, his work as a prosecutor, his work in the administration,” the GOP senator told Fox News exclusively.

The senator also plans to distribute multiple versions of a Patel-themed bingo game to his colleagues on the committee.

Dubbed “K$H Bingo,” the game features topics Tillis anticipates Democrats will raise during the hearing. The bingo sheet includes terms like “Deep State,” “Enemies List,” and Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), among others.

“I’m also going to be providing a bingo card because I know what everybody else is going to bring up,” he said. “We know what the words are. And they already started it because when they ran out of things to attack [attorney general nominee] Pam Bondi on, they started attacking Kash.”

“We know what they’re going to do. And I want to make it clear to them there’s no Perry Mason moment,” the North Carolina senator said, referencing a 1950s-era TV legal drama starring actor Raymond Burr. “I’m not going to let innuendo and rumors rule the day. I’m going to hold them accountable.”

Tillis’ strong push for Patel’s confirmation comes just days after his pivotal vote in Pete Hegseth’s confirmation, which had been uncertain until the last minute.

illis did not announce his support for Hegseth until several minutes after the confirmation vote had already begun, releasing a statement confirming his decision. Prior to that, he had told reporters he was still conducting due diligence following newly surfaced allegations against the nominee, Fox noted.

The controversy stemmed from an affidavit filed by Hegseth’s former sister-in-law, who alleged that he abused alcohol and made his ex-wife, Samantha Hegseth, fear for her safety. Tillis told reporters just hours before the confirmation vote that he was reviewing any potential corroborating evidence related to the claims.

“Look, I have an obligation to one person in advise and consent, and that is the President of the United States. I take it seriously,” the senator explained at the time. “I take it very seriously,” he reiterated. “I did with Pete. I ultimately voted for him and had to dispose of the allegations or assess the allegations that came at the eleventh hour.”

Tillis also said he believes his support for Patel, who served in a national security advisory role during Trump’s first term, will be crucial to his eventual appointment.

“I believe I’ve established — even though I can be a pain to some people — as tedious as I can get with completing my due diligence. I think that it brings with it a certain amount of credibility, and that’s why it’s so important to me. I have to be consistent,” Tillis said.

On Wednesday, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, faced intense and often hypocritical grilling from nearly all Democratic members of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

There was a lighthearted moment during the hearing when RFK Jr. said he did not plan to prevent Americans from eating fast foods from McDonald’s and other chains or drinking Diet Coke, joking that he knows the president often indulges in those items.