FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL DENIES DRINKING ALLEGATIONS DURING TENSE SENATE HEARING WITH DEMOCRATS OVER LEADERSHIP CONCERNS. (PHOTO).

 FBI Director Kash Patel denies drinking allegations during tense Senate hearing with Democrats over leadership concerns

 FBI Director Kash Patel denied allegations of alcohol abuse and defended his leadership during a tense Senate budget hearing on Tuesday, as Democrats questioned his management of the agency and cited a series of controversies.

The exchange escalated during a more than two-hour hearing before the Senate Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations Subcommittee when Sen. Chris Van Hollen raised allegations reported about Patel’s conduct. Patel rejected the claims and pointed to a defamation lawsuit he has filed over the reporting, saying, “I will not be tarnished by baseless allegations.”

Under questioning, Patel called accusations of excessive drinking and unexplained absences “unequivocally, categorically false,” and said there were no instances in which his security detail had difficulty locating or waking him. “It’s a total farce. I don’t even know where you get this stuff, but it doesn’t make it credible,” he said.

The hearing became more combative when Patel accused Van Hollen of “slinging margaritas in El Salvador,” referencing the senator’s meeting with Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, a deportation case tied to the Trump administration’s immigration policies. Van Hollen pushed back, saying the allegations against Patel were serious.

Republicans on the panel largely focused on other Justice Department officials or posed less confrontational questions to Patel, while Sen. Katie Britt highlighted FBI operations in Alabama that led to dozens of arrests and firearm recoveries, praising the agency’s work.

Democratic lawmakers, including Sen. Patty Murray, voiced broader concerns about Patel’s leadership, accusing him of mismanaging the agency and politicizing its operations. Murray said the FBI needed leadership focused on criminal investigations rather than public image, referencing reports about Patel’s extracurricular activities.

Patel, a close ally of President Donald Trump, defended the FBI’s performance by citing enforcement actions against violent offenders, trafficking networks, and fugitives. He dismissed the criticism as politically motivated, saying, “If people want to continue the baseless, fraudulent, false personal attacks at me, that’s great. Keep the target on me, as I’ve always said. But the mission has never been better.”