On Capitol Hill Tuesday FBI director Kash Patel and Democratic lawmakers got into a heated debate over how he handled the investigation into the Charlie Kirk shooting. He was also taken to task on the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files that he's frustrated lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, including some of the president's staunchest allies.
Democrats who went into Tuesday's hearing skeptical did not receive many answers.
Patel engaged in repeated and often acrimonious exchanges with Democratic committee members in which he accused lawmakers of prioritizing soundbites.
“You are the biggest fraud to ever sit in the United States Senate, you are a disgrace to this institution and you are an utter coward,” Patel told Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA).
“You can make an internet troll the FBI director, but he will always be an internet troll,” Schiff replied.
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Multiple Democratic senators ultimately left the hearing.
Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT) told Scripps News he does not have confidence in Patel to lead the FBI, which recently responded to the shooting death of Charlie Kirk.
"[Patel] took a lot more credit, I think, and he blew it when he said we had our person in custody and it turned out he was wrong. That was 27 hours ahead of time."
Scripps News' Nathaniel Reed: Do you have faith in Mr. Patel?
"Well, I don't," Sen. Welch said. "I mean, when you take out the really respected people who've served, say, 18,20 years — they've done an outstanding job and you fired them for political reasons. No. I'm appalled by that."
But some Republicans said before the hearing that they felt Patel had done a good job leading the FBI.
"I see no reason for the armchair quarterbacks to be criticizing his performance. I think it's been commendable," said Sen. John Cornyn, (R-TX). "It took roughly 33 hours to arrest Charlie Kirk's killer. There's always a certain fog that goes on with emergency situations like this."
Patel is expected back before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.
