Kash Patel publicly agreed to take a military-grade alcohol screening test alongside Chris Van Hollen during a tense Senate hearing Tuesday that spiraled from budget oversight into a bitter exchange over drinking allegations, media reports and personal attacks.
The confrontation unfolded before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies as lawmakers reviewed the FBI's proposed fiscal year 2027 budget. What began as a routine appropriations hearing quickly turned combative after Van Hollen cited reporting from The Atlantic alleging Patel engaged in episodes of excessive drinking and unexplained absences while serving as FBI director.
"Reports of your being so drunk and hungover that your staff had to force entry into your home are extremely alarming," Van Hollen said during his opening remarks. "If true, they represent a gross dereliction of your duty."
Patel immediately rejected the accusations. "It's a total farce. I don't even know where you get it from," he responded. Pressed further about The Atlantic's reporting, Patel added: "I will not be tarnished by baseless allegations and fraudulent statements from the media."
The FBI director later described the claims as "unequivocally, categorically false," while reiterating that he has filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against the magazine. The Atlantic has previously stated it stands by its reporting.
The hearing itself centered on President Donald Trump's proposed $12.53 billion FBI budget for fiscal year 2027, representing an 18% increase from 2026 levels. Patel defended the requested funding by highlighting several law-enforcement benchmarks achieved during his tenure.
Among the figures Patel cited:
- A 20% decline in the national murder rate
- A 31% increase in fentanyl seizures
- The capture of eight of the FBI's ten most-wanted fugitives
But the policy discussion soon gave way to increasingly personal accusations.
Rather than remain on the defensive, Patel accused Van Hollen of hypocrisy, referencing the senator's 2025 visit to El Salvador involving Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man whose deportation became politically contentious.
"You were slinging margaritas in El Salvador on the taxpayer dollar with a convicted gang-banging rapist," Patel told the senator.
Abrego Garcia has not been convicted of gang membership or rape. Trump administration officials have alleged ties to MS-13, which he has denied, while separate human-trafficking charges remain pending.
Van Hollen has also disputed claims that margaritas were consumed during the meeting after Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele posted photos online suggesting otherwise.
Patel then escalated the confrontation further by referencing a Federal Election Commission filing. "The only person that ran up a £5,275 ($7,128) bar tab in Washington, D.C., at the Lobby Bar was you," Patel said.
During the hearing, the FBI's official X account posted documentation appearing to show a campaign expenditure by Van Hollen's Senate campaign committee at the Washington venue. A spokesperson for the senator later said the expense covered an after-hours holiday reception for more than 50 staff members and was paid with campaign funds, not taxpayer dollars.
The hearing reached its sharpest moment when Van Hollen challenged Patel to take an alcohol screening based on the military's AUDIT assessment tool, which measures potentially hazardous drinking behavior.
"I'll take any test you're willing to take," Patel responded.
Van Hollen replied that he would also participate. "Let's go. Side by side," Patel shot back, drawing visible surprise in the hearing room.
No timeline was announced for the proposed test, and neither the FBI nor Senate Democrats later clarified whether formal arrangements were being made.
After the hearing, Van Hollen doubled down in comments to NBC News. "If public reporting on his drinking were not enough to call into question his fitness to serve as FBI Director, his behaviour today absolutely did. He's a disgrace to the office he holds," the senator said.
