FBI Director Kash Patel denied allegations about his alcohol consumption Tuesday as Senate Democrats raised concerns about his leadership, pressing him on a series of rolling controversies at the agency.
At one point during a more than two-hour budget hearing, Patel lashed out at Sen. Chris Van Hollen after the Maryland Democrat pointed to allegations outlined in an article from The Atlantic magazine. Patel has filed a defamation lawsuit over the reporting.
“I will not be tarnished by baseless allegations,” Patel said during the exchange before the Senate Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations Subcommittee.
The exchanges occurred at a hearing in which Republicans turned their attention to other key Justice Department officials who appeared on the panel, or asked less contentious questions of Patel.
Under questioning from Van Hollen, Patel denied allegations of episodes of excessive drinking and unexplained absences during his time as FBI director, saying those accusations were “unequivocally, categorically false.”
