Top Trump administration officials have made it abundantly clear from Day One just how little regard they have for Congress, including and possibly especially its constitutional oversight duties.
Just look at former Attorney General Pam Bondi’s “burn book” and her riff on the Dow at her February hearings, or Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s over-the-top combative testimony of late. The general strategy seems to revolve around attacking lawmakers to avoid answering even straightforward questions about dicey subjects — even if the questioner is a fellow Republican.
But rarely has an appearance epitomized the administration’s utter disdain for accountability like FBI Director Kash Patel’s congressional hearing on Tuesday.
Members of a Senate Appropriations subcommittee pressed Patel on a number of questions about his stewardship of the FBI, including a recent report in the Atlantic that he has alarmed colleagues with his excessive drinking (he has denied these claims and sued the publication) and his exorbitant celebrating with the US hockey team after its Olympic win in Italy.
Things got particularly testy with Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, who read an opening statement particularly critical of Patel and his alleged drinking habits.
