Kash Patel, director of the FBI, did. Lawmakers pressed him on the details of the still-ongoing federal investigation into the shooting incident involving Charlie Kirk. Lawmakers expressed deep alarm at Patel’s management of the case. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin shamed the “mass confusion” Patel spread about the shooting suspect. The hearing happened on [insert date]. Here’s what we learned about the primary focus of the investigation, Patel’s role and the broader impact on the FBI.
As the session continued, Patel staunchly justified his actions during this investigation every step of the way. He promised that the FBI is vigorously pursuing every lead related to the event. He pointed to the agency’s ongoing investigation of a Discord group chat, among other things. In that conversation, according to police, the future shooter admitted to the crime. “We are investigating Charlie’s assassination fully and completely and running out every lead related to any allegation of broader violence,” Patel stated, underscoring the seriousness with which the FBI is treating this case.
Patel even spent some time responding to critics attacking his deputy director, Dan Bongino. In September, allegations surfaced accusing Bongino of pushing right-wing conspiracy theories regarding the shooting. That’s when Patel immediately leapt to his defense. “Your attack on the current leadership of the men and women of the FBI is equally disgraceful,” Patel remarked in response to Durbin’s comments about Bongino’s conduct.
Even though Patel defended Bongino against those critiques, Patel was still subjected to sharp inquiries into his own credibly — and that of the FBI’s covert operations. Among other things, Durbin pressed him on allegations that Patel had put together an “enemies list.” Patel’s response was unequivocal and direct, “I am not a blanking enemies list.” This comment was made in the context of wider criticisms from federal legislators regarding Patel’s alleged partisan objectives inside the FBI.
Things got testy when the conversation turned to lawmakers’ questions about the use of polygraph tests in the ongoing investigation. Patel would not provide any information on what these tests entail or how they are administered. This dearth of information angered many committee members. “You have to have a decent memory when you come before a committee,” Durbin chastised Patel during a particularly charged exchange.
Patel declined to talk on the recent DOJ/FBI firings. He said, unfortunately, he could not comment on those issues. This timidness to dig into sensitive matters raised the furrowed brows of lawmakers who insisted on more candor from the FBI’s top echelon.
In his new book, Government Gangsters, Patel argues that he’s found 60. He dismissively calls them “deep state” actors. This claim added another level of risk to the already intense pressure he was under at the hearing. As Senator Sheldon Whitehouse so incisively observed, “You’ve been in the job seven months. At that pace, you’re down to 14 months left to go after all 60. That raises real questions about Patel putting more focus targeting faux political enemies than on investigating pressing priorities.
Throughout the backlash, Patel dug in on defending his approach to the police-involved killing of Kirk. At the same time, President Donald Trump was rallying for him from afar. Patel said that releasing new video footage of the suspect was key to moving the investigation forward. “I got a lot of evidence, and I’ll give it to you when I can,” he asserted.