[Video below.] FBI Director Kash Patel and Sen. Chris Van Hollen engaged in a fiery confrontation during a Senate hearing after the Maryland Democrat questioned Patel about allegations of excessive drinking, prompting the FBI chief to challenge the senator to take an alcohol screening test alongside him.

Patel said he would agree to undergo the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, known as the AUDIT test, but only if Van Hollen participated as well.

“Side by side,” Patel said during the contentious exchange.

Van Hollen raised the issue by referencing a report published by The Atlantic, which Patel has strongly denied, that alleged the FBI director had drinking-related problems that interfered with his duties.

“When your private actions make it impossible for you to perform your public duties, we have a big problem. You cannot perform those public duties if you’re incapacitated,” Van Hollen told Patel during the hearing.

The senator then escalated his criticism by citing allegations that Patel had allegedly become so intoxicated that aides were forced to enter his residence.

“And Director Patel, these reports about your conduct, including reports of your being so drunk and hungover that your staff had to force entry into your home are extremely alarming. If true, they demonstrate a gross dereliction of your duty and a betrayal of public trust,” Van Hollen continued.

Later in the hearing, Van Hollen asked Patel and other top law enforcement officials how they would handle an employee suspected of drinking excessively while serving in a sensitive role.

“I really don’t care about your personal life, so long as you are able to perform your public and official responsibilities, which are awesome responsibilities. Multiple reports, including reporting by The Atlantic, have alleged episodes of excessive drinking, unexplained absences and behavior that concern current and former FBI and DOJ officials,” Van Hollen said.

Patel, who has filed a defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic over the report, flatly rejected the allegations before turning his criticism toward the senator, accusing Van Hollen of drinking margaritas during a trip to El Salvador to meet Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a deported man who was imprisoned there at the time.

“The only person who was slinging margaritas in El Salvador on the taxpayer dollar with a convicted gang banging rapist was you,” Patel fired back.

Van Hollen immediately rejected the accusation and said Patel’s remarks showed he was misinformed.

“The fact that you mentioned that indicates you don’t know what you are talking about,” the senator responded.

Van Hollen later accused Patel of spreading false claims during sworn testimony.

“In the process, you made these provably false statements that I know are sort of like urban legend in right wing media about margaritas in El Salvador, which is provably false,” Van Hollen said.

“And so coming from the mouth of an FBI director to make provably false statements in a hearing like this is extremely troubling, and it leads me to ask whether or not the other things you’ve been saying are false statements,” he added.

During the closing moments of their exchange, Van Hollen repeatedly pressed Patel on whether he understood that lying to Congress is a criminal offense. Patel responded each time by insisting he had not committed perjury during the hearing.

Van Hollen has previously argued that the margarita controversy was staged by Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele.

Speaking at a press conference after returning from El Salvador in April of last year, Van Hollen said a Salvadoran official “deposited two other glasses on the table.”

The senator said one of the drinks appeared deliberately altered to make it seem as though Abrego Garcia had consumed some of it.

“Let me just be very clear: Neither of us touched the drinks that were in front of us,” he said at the time.

“Nobody drank any margaritas or sugar water or whatever it is. But this is the lesson in the lengths that President Bukele will do to deceive people about what’s going on,” Van Hollen added, noting that the salt lining the rim of the glass had not been disturbed.

Claims by the Trump administration linking Abrego Garcia to gang activity have largely stemmed from information provided by a confidential source. Although Abrego Garcia was returned to the United States to face human trafficking charges, he has not faced sexual assault charges and has not been convicted of any crime, contrary to Patel’s characterization.

Patel also suggested during the hearing that Van Hollen had accumulated a $7,000 bar bill during his travels. He later posted a Federal Election Commission filing from the senator’s campaign showing a catering expense at Lobby Bar totaling that amount.

The alcohol screening test at the center of the dispute had previously been proposed by House Judiciary Democrats, who called on Patel to complete the 10-question assessment.

Van Hollen accepted Patel’s challenge after the FBI director said he would only participate if the senator agreed as well.

“Let’s go,” Patel said. “Side by side.”

Other Democrats on the committee also challenged Patel during the hearing.

Sen. Patty Murray of Washington questioned the FBI director about reports that more than 2,000 FBI personnel had been reassigned to immigration-related work, citing figures attributed to the CATO Institute. She also pressed Patel over reports that the bureau had investigated journalists who reported on him, allegations Patel denied.

Among the reports referenced was an MSNOW story claiming the FBI had looked into Atlantic reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick, who first wrote about Patel. The Atlantic later published another article reporting that Patel had distributed custom bourbon bottles.

“We need serious leadership at the FBI that the American people can trust. And I am deeply concerned about the reports that your leadership has not been serious. We need somebody at this agency who’s focused on solving criminal cases, not passing out branded bourbon, or jetting around the globe. Your job is to be reachable,” Murray said.

“And I know Sen. Van Hollen asked you about this, but I have got to say, if you want to pass out liquor, or pop bottles in a locker room: stick to podcasting. Leave law and order to people who really do care about justice.”

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{Matzav.com}