The Senate overwhelmingly confirmed James Comey as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Monday even as Republicans and Democrats struggled to hold together the fragile deal that preserved the filibuster for executive branch appointees, reports the New York Times. Sen. Rand Paul had placed a hold on Comey’s nomination over questions about the bureau’s use of drones on U.S. soil and the policies surrounding that use, the Washington Post reports. After receiving a response to his concerns from the FBI detailing the “limited” use of surveillance drones, Paul released his hold.  Prior to the Monday vote, no senator had voted against a nominee for FBI director since the death of J. Edgar Hoover in 1972, according to Politico.