Kash Patel Denies Excessive Drinking Allegations as Senator Chris Van Hollen Presses Him at Senate Hearing

FBI Director Kash Patel faced Democratic pressure at a Senate budget hearing after a media report alleged episodes of excessive drinking interfered with his ability to lead the FBI, drawing an angry response from Patel.

“FBI Director Kash Patel denies drinking allegations in heated Senate exchange FBI Director Kash Patel denies drinking allegations in heated Senate exchange WASHINGTON (AP) — FBI Director Kash Patel angrily lashed out at a Democratic lawmaker at a budget hearing Tuesday, calling allegations that he drinks excessively on the job and has been unreachable to his staff at times “unequivocally, categorically false”

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Senator Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat from Maryland, opened the exchange by saying, "If true, they demonstrate a gross dereliction of your duty and a betrayal of public trust," as he pressed Patel on the Atlantic report.

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Patel denied the allegations and called them a "total farce," while also defending his performance and saying violent crime had fallen over the past year while FBI arrests had increased.

The hearing also revisited Patel’s first appearance before Congress since his beer-drinking celebration at the Milan Winter Olympics and the publication of the Atlantic article that drew renewed scrutiny to his tenure.

Patel testified in support of the Trump administration’s proposed $12.5 billion 2027 budget for the FBI during the hearing before a Senate budget panel.

As the exchange turned heated, Patel accused Van Hollen of "slinging margaritas in El Salvador on the taxpayer dollar," referencing Van Hollen’s trip last year to visit Kilmar Abrego, a Salvadoran migrant from Maryland who was imprisoned in El Salvador following wrongful deportation by the Trump administration.

Van Hollen responded that Patel’s statement was "provably false," while photos of the trip showed Van Hollen and Abrego with cocktail glasses on a table.

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Patel and Van Hollen also clashed over whether Patel would take a test meant to measure whether an individual has a drinking problem, with Patel saying, "I’ll take any test you’re willing to take."

At the hearing, Van Hollen challenged Patel by asking if there were any occasions when Patel’s security detail had "difficulty waking or locating you," and the exchange included references to the Atlantic’s claims of "conspicuous inebriation and unexplained absences."

The Atlantic has said it stands behind its reporting and would vigorously defend against Patel’s lawsuit, while Patel has sued the Atlantic and its reporter over the article, accusing them of defamation.

Republican senators praised Patel’s leadership as Democrats pressed him on headline-generating travel and other conduct, including the Olympics in Italy where he partied with the U.S. men’s hockey team after their gold medal win.

Senator Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat, asked Patel, "How much did your trip cost and to what extent did that help you carry out your mission as director of the FBI?" as Patel responded that the FBI was responsible for security at the Olympics and said the trip helped facilitate the transfer into U.S. custody of a Chinese cyber criminal detained by Italian authorities.

Democrats also pressed Patel on mass terminations under his watch of agents who worked on investigations into President Donald Trump, while Patel used the forum to tout what he described as major crime-fighting achievements since he took the position.

Senator Gary Peters, D-Michigan, expressed concerns about FBI searches, subpoenas and ballot seizures that "appear to target election-related matters tied to debunked theories," including in battleground states like Georgia and Arizona.

Patel said those actions followed legal processes, including court-approved search warrants, and described a stepped-up FBI "election-security posture" in the runup to the November midterms, including installing Election County Coordinators in every one of the FBI’s 56 field offices.