Democrat Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) lost his composure during a Senate hearing, expressing frustration over a meme shared by Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the FBI. In a tense exchange, Whitehouse accused Patel of promoting the notion that FBI agents were responsible for the violence on January 6th, a claim that Patel denied.
Patel, a staunch ally of Trump and a vocal critic of the FBI’s handling of the Russia collusion investigation and the January 6th events, had shared a provocative video on Truth Social. In the video, he humorously depicted himself chainsawing those critical of Trump, including CNN, other liberal media outlets, and certain politicians. The meme caught the attention of the Senate Judiciary Committee, who criticized it as evidence of his being “dangerous and unqualified” for the role of FBI Director.
“Is that you, Kash Patel, re-truthed, re-posting that at the top of that page?” Whitehouse asked. “Senator, I had nothing to do with the creation of that meme,” Patel responded. “Is that you re-posting it was my question,” Whitehouse asked again. “That’s me at the top,” Patel calmly responded.
Whitehouse also confronted Patel over his previous claim that FBI agents were definitively involved in the January 6th violence, a claim Patel denied. Whitehouse interrupted Patel, insisting that an Inspector General investigation had already discredited those assertions and refused to allow Patel further elaboration. “That’s completely incorrect, and I appreciate the opportunity to address that,” said Patel. But instead of giving him a chance to respond, Whitehouse interrupted, saying, per the video below, “I’ll give you an opportunity in writing, but this is my time now.” The FBI nominee jabbed back: “Have at it.”
Whitehouse then criticized Patel for his comments labeling judges who rule against Trump as “political terrorists” and suggesting they should be impeached. He also referenced a judge’s assessment in a Colorado case, where Patel was described as not being a “credible witness,” and his testimony was criticized for lacking logic and evidence. Whitehouse urged his colleagues to consider these concerns carefully. “This is a dangerous time and I ask all my colleagues to consider whether these plain comments by this person, and by his own Trump administration colleagues should be I just overlooked, or whether like the warnings of pardoning violent January 6 offenders,” Whitehouse concluded.
