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FBI Director Kash Patel faced tough questions from Senate Democrats as they pressed him on his agency’s handling of major investigations, such as the assassination of political activist Charlie Kirk, and at times got into shouting matches with him.
The Trump appointee, who has been in his position since February, told the Senate Judiciary Committee at the beginning of a regularly scheduled Sept. 16 oversight hearing that he wasn’t leaving his job, and he told critics at the outset to “please, bring it on.”
Patel is a former Republican congressional aide and an outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump, who has criticized the FBI's past investigation into Trump's ties to Russia. Democrats opposed Patel's confirmation.
Republicans generally praised Patel during the hearing, and Chairman Chuck Grassley, a Republican from Iowa, read off a list of complaints with the FBI's work during from Democratic administrations.
Here are five moments from the hearing you may have missed.
Shouting about Epstein
Sen. Adam Schiff, D-California, got into a shouting match with Patel while questioning him over the administration’s decision to move Jeffrey Epstein accomplice and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell to a lower-security prison after she sat for an interview with the Department of Justice. Patel said the decision came from the Bureau of Prisons – as opposed to a higher DOJ official.
"You want the American people to believe that?” Schiff asked. “Do you think they're stupid?"
Patel said he's not in the weeds of prisoner movements and defended his record. As Schiff interrupted him, Patel called Schiff a "liar.”
"You are the biggest fraud to ever sit in the United States Senate!” Patel shouted. “You are a disgrace to this institution and an utter coward!"
"You can make an internet troll the FBI director, but he will always be nothing more than an internet troll," Schiff said in a steady, loud tone.
"All you care about is a child sex predator that was prosecuted by a prior administration," Patel said.
Grassley, the chairman, banged his gavel repeatedly. “Both of you be quiet!” he said in a raised voice.
A New Jersey fight
Sen. Cory Booker, a Democrat from New Jersey, told Patel he was making a mockery of the oversight hearing and listed a number of grievances in his leadership of the FBI, including firing seasoned agents and moving too many agents to immigration enforcement.
That sparked a heated exchange that Grassley, a Republican from Iowa, had to end.
Booker said Patel was “truly bad” at his job, that he was failing as a leader and that he has been attacking the integrity of the nation’s premiere law enforcement agency. “I think you’re not gonna be around long,” Booker said. “I think this might be your last oversight hearing.”
When Patel took the mic, he told Booker that his “rant of false information” wasn’t bringing the country together, striking a nerve in an already impassioned Booker, who began yelling at him.
"You are an embarrassment to the division in this country," Patel said.
Eventually, Patel, attempting to get Booker to stop talking, told him his time was up.
“Sir, you don’t tell me my time is over,” Booker said. “The people of New Jersey tell me what my time is.”
‘Shut up’
Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, the highest-ranking Democrat on the committee, criticized Patel’s tweet the night of Charlie Kirk’s killing that inaccurately announced a subject was in custody in relation to the investigation.
“Mr. Patel was so anxious to take credit for finding Mr. Kirk’s assassin that he violated one of the basics of effective law enforcement: At critical stages of an investigation, shut up and let the professionals do their job,” Durbin said.
Patel later said under questioning from Sen. Peter Welch, a Democrat from Vermont, that he did not regret the post, and he said he put that information out as part of his commitment to working with the public.
Welch replied that Patel's post suggested the person who committed the killing was in custody, and therefore the public didn't need to keep providing information to local law enforcement and to the FBI.
"I don't see it as a mistake," Patel maintained.
"If you put out a statement that says, 'We've got our man,' and in fact it turns out that you didn't have your man, that's not a mistake?" Welch responded.
Discord chat
Patel confirmed the existence of a Discord chat used by the suspect in the Kirk shooting, but he did not say what the suspect said on the chat. On Sept. 15, the Washington Post quoted a message from the suspect’s Discord chat confessing to the killing.
“Unfortunately, it has been leaked that there is a Discord chat – and for those unfamiliar with it, it’s a gaming chat room online – that the suspect participated in,” Patel said. “We’re also going to be investigating anyone and everyone involved in that Discord chat."
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, asked Patel about reports saying that there were 20 people in that chat, and Patel said there were "a lot more than that."
FBI loyalty tests
Patel dodged questions from Durbin about whether the FBI is subjecting agents to partisan political loyalty tests during their routine polygraphs, as reported by The New York Times. One of the reported questions is whether they have said anything negative about Patel.
“I don’t know what reports you’re referring to, ranking member, and I reject any reporting that has false information in it, so I’m not going to respond to that,” Patel said.
“As far as polygraphs go, generally they are always and have always been used at the FBI to track those who leak sensitive information and have unauthorized disclosures, and we will continue to use them to ensure the integrity of the FBI,” he added.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: FBI Director Kash Patel clashes with Senate Democrats over Kirk, Epstein
Reporting by Erin Mansfield and Aysha Bagchi, USA TODAY / USA TODAY
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