Kash Patel Denies Lying and Excessive Drinking in Heated Exchanges With Democrats

FBI Director Kash Patel angrily lashed out at Sen. Chris Van Hollen during a budget hearing Tuesday, calling allegations that he drinks excessively on the job and has been unreachable to his staff “unequivocally, categorically false.”

“WASHINGTON (AP) — FBI Director Kash Patel angrily lashed out at a Democratic lawmaker at a budget hearing Tuesday, callingallegations that he drinks excessivelyon the job and has been unreachable to his staff at times “unequivocally, categorically false”

Black Hills Pioneer

Patel told Van Hollen, “I will not be tarnished by baseless allegations and fraudulent statements from the media,” after the Maryland Democrat confronted him about a recent article in The Atlantic magazine.

CBC

Van Hollen pressed Patel about reporting that painted his leadership of the nation’s premier federal law enforcement agency in an unflattering light, and Patel responded with denials and a defamation suit over the story.

In the heated exchange, Patel also accused Van Hollen of inappropriate drinking, pointing to a visit Van Hollen made to El Salvador last April to meet Kilmar Abrego Garcia, whom the Trump administration mistakenly sent from Maryland to a high-security foreign prison.

Patel sought to turn the tables by accusing Van Hollen of “slinging margaritas” in El Salvador, saying, “The only person that was slinging margaritas in El Salvador on the taxpayer dollar with a convicted gangbanging rapist was you.”

Van Hollen shook his head at Patel’s claims and told him, “You don't know what you're talking about,” as the senator challenged Patel to take a type of questionnaire used to help determine if a person has a drinking problem.

Dailyhunt

Patel immediately accepted the challenge, saying he would take one if Van Hollen would also do so, and he said, “Let's go, side by side,” during the testy exchange.

The CBC reported that Patel eventually said he would take the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) as long as the senator took it too, “side by side,” after Van Hollen called the allegations “extremely alarming.”

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said she had “deep concern” about Patel’s leadership skills, noting he had been videotaped guzzling a beer and celebrating with the U.S. men's hockey team in Milan after it won Olympic gold.

“Washington: FBI Director Kash Patel offered a series of angry, insult-laden denials to Democratic lawmakers on Tuesday in response to questions about his conduct, including whether he drank to excess, forced subordinates to take polygraph exams and made false statements to Congress”

Dailyhunt

Murray told Patel, “If you want to pass out liquor or pop bottles in a locker room, stick to podcasting,” and Patel responded by holding up a sheet of arrest and crime statistics.

The Dailyhunt account said Republicans largely praised Patel, with Sen. Katie Britt thanking him effusively for the bureau's work in her home state of Alabama, while Patel denied reports that he had forced subordinates to undergo polygraph examinations.

In a later exchange, Van Hollen directly accused Patel of misleading Congress, saying, “You made a couple provably false statements,” and asked, “Do you know that it is a crime to lie to Congress?” before Patel replied, “I have not lied to Congress.”