"I Am Not Afraid of You" - Senator Cory Booker and Kash Patel Start Yelling at Each Other | N18G

Thank you Mr. Chairman. Mr. Patel, I want to start off where we left off last time. I asked you whether you had any knowledge or discussions about removing FBI officials and installing political personnel before you were confirmed to that position. And I wonder, did you then understand or have conversations with the White House about the intentions to do so? Before I was confirmed? Yes sir. Did I have

discussions with the White House to remove FBI personnel? Yes. No. So you're

saying that you had no discussions with the White House before you were in the position about the removal of any personnel from the agency? As I was preparing for my

confirmation hearing I had numerous discussions involving the type of people that would be employed and that those that were failing to meet the mark at

the FBI would no longer be employed if I were confirmed. And I'm assuming that mark had to do with loyalty to the Trump administration? No, you're wrong. Okay, I'd like to revisit another subject from that hearing. Did you did you testify, excuse me, you're wrong. Okay. I'd like to revisit another subject from that hearing. Did you testify, excuse me, you did testify before the grand jury that President Trump had declassified the documents at issue in the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case. Is that correct?

I don't have the grand jury transcript. That's why I released it. Whatever it says is the best evidence.

You know, that's what you said to Senator Whitehouse, that your grand jury testimony was publicly released. It has not been. In fact in July a court denied a news outlet's bid to get that transcript but you said but the court said quite clearly that you are free to discuss your grand jury testimony. So I ask you again did you testify before the grand jury that President Trump I ask you again, did you testify before the grand jury

that President Trump declassified the documents at issue in the Mar-a-Lago classified document case?

And that is why I took your invitation to work with the department and the court to have that transcript released. And the transcript is the best evidence of what I said then.

So you're saying right now this committee can have access to what you said before the grand jury? To whatever was released. And it's my understanding Senator, so the Department of Justice... Hold on, hold on. You and I both understand the law. Let me finish. You and I understand under rule six of the federal rules of procedure, a grand jury witness, in this case you, is not barred from sharing their grand jury testimony. This is an oversight hearing.

This is germane to your integrity and credibility. You know right now whether or not you testified that President Trump declassified the documents at issue in the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case. Why are you refusing to answer that simple yes or no question right now? Because the premise of your question is inaccurate and that is why. There is no premise to my question but trying to get to an order of

what is truth or not. How do you know what was asked in the grand jury if you weren't

there? Mr. Patel, this is a mockery you're making of this hearing and simple questions. It's a simple question. If you have a transcript you can read the question. Mr. Patel, during your nomination hearing, you promised that quote all FBI employees will be protected against political retribution. When I asked you are you aware of any plans or discussions to punish in any way, including termination FBI agents or personnel associated with the Trump administration, you explicitly said under

oath that you were not aware of any plans to punish FBI agents associated with criminal investigations of Donald Trump. I don't believe you were truthful. Firing FBI employees based solely on the cases that they are investigating, their case assignments, is illegal and you know that. A new lawsuit that's been discussed numerous times filed by three FBI officials alleges

that you carried out Donald Trump's campaign of retribution in quotes against FBI employees for quote, failure to demonstrate sufficient political loyalty. One of those plaintiffs has been discussed today, Brian Driscoll.

Now, we know 20 years of distinguished service to the FBI before you terminated him. Special agent in charge of FBI's Newark field office where he operated with distinction, medal of valor winner, shield of bravery awards. He's a patriot.

You terminated Driscoll via a letter dated October 8th, 2025 and in that letter you said that you were firing him pursuant to Article 2 of the Constitution. Well, you're not the President of the United States, and so I'm wondering under what authority you were allowed to terminate him.

That matter is under litigation, and I'm not able to discuss it.

Okay, we'll discuss this. Did you have discussions with Stephen Miller about firing this particular person or about his continuance in the FBI? Not that I recall. How often do you speak to Stephen Miller? Frequently on our Homeland Security Task Forces. You frequently talk with Stephen Miller about subjects other than Homeland Security Task Force issues, correct? I frequently talk to Mr. Miller about Homeland Security Task Forces. Has Stephen Miller ever given you his opinions on how to run your agency? Mr. Miller's interagency operations are invaluable to the FBI. That's what we talk about. So you frequently discuss your job and your responsibilities

with Stephen Miller and Pambondi, I imagine, as well.

Absolutely. She's the attorney general.

Understood. OK. Donald Trump promised to make us all safer. You have pushed out senior FBI agents with decades of knowledge and experience. In fact, this is the first time in FBI history

that neither the director nor the deputy director have any experience with the FBI. You've shifted the agency's priorities primarily to pursuing Donald Trump's immigration enforcement agenda. According to ICE data, the Cato Institute, which is a conservative think tank,

found that 20% of all agents have been diverted from their work to do assist ICE immigration enforcement 20% part of this operation is the work of mass law enforcement who jump out of cars snatch people off streets at churches schools and their jobs and hospitals have there been any FBI agents who investigate crimes against children that

have been assigned to immigration enforcement yes or no the premise of

what you say is in fact there's been any FBI no no no no no foreign domestic terror you don't get to say the America is not safer under this I am not America is safer because of the FBI presum. You're making a presumption of premise. 4,700 children. Sir, you have.

We have seized 6,000 weapons and 23,000 violent felons have been arrested. You are not denying that FBI agents who investigate human trafficking have been reassigned to immigration enforcement. You are not denying that FBI agents who are on the task force that fight against Russian oligarchs have not been reassigned. Public corrections squad reassigned. People who defend us again defend children

reassigned. You're not denying that. I've seen time and time again attack my colleagues premises of questions as a way to not answer the question. So let me end with this. I believe you have made our country weaker and less safe. I believe that we are more vulnerable to a major event, and I pray to God it doesn't happen. You've gutted the Bureau of Institutional Knowledge

and Expertise. You've fired or pushed out seasoned FBI officials, many with more than 20 years of experience, and were working on cases that were critical. You've been purging thousands of serious law enforcement officials who spent their careers keeping us safe only to lower

hiring standards in order to find anyone to replace them. And shockingly you admitted in this hearing to Senator Coons that it would take 14 years to fill the vacancies at your agency. Many are the result of your purge. 20% of FBI agents are doing low-level immigration enforcement instead of their mission-critical work. You've disbanded entire task forces that stop election interference, foreign influence,

public corruption. And who benefits from this? Well, corrupt people benefit from it. Criminals benefit from it. Vladimir Putin benefits from it. And it really makes me wonder who you're looking out for. It makes me think we can't trust you as a nation. You swear to release the

Epstein files, but now you're withholding the Epstein files. You claim that you have a suspect in a serious assassination. Whoops, then you don't have a suspect. You know nothing about plans to remove FBI agents, yet you're directly involved in those plans. In the words of an ex-FBI official, you are overseeing, and I quote, generational destruction

of the nation's premier law enforcement agency. Mr. Patel, in just eight months, you have assaulted the institutional integrity of the FBI. But I know FBI field agents. I've worked with them in Newark. No matter how truly bad you are, you can't undermine the legacy of agents who fight every day to keep us safe, but you can tarnish the integrity of the agency and undermine the agency's capacity. I believe you're failing as a

leader and that your failure does have serious implications for the safety and security of Americans and our families. We're more vulnerable to domestic and foreign attack because of your failures of leadership. I don't think you're fit to be in the Bureau, but here's the thing Mr. Patel, I think you're not going to be around long. I think this might be your last oversight hearing. Because as much as you supplicate yourself to the will of Donald Trump and not

the Constitution of the United States of America, Donald Trump has shown us in his first term and in this term, he is not loyal to people like you. He will cut you loose. This may be the last time I have a hearing with you, because I don't think you're long for your job, but I'm going

to tell you this, I pray for you, I pray for you, that you can step up and defend your oath, defend the Constitution, and do a much better job of defending this country. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Do you want to say anything? Yes, sir. that rant of false information does not bring this country together if you want to work on bringing this country it's my time not yours my god my god if you want to talk about fighting this country it is my time you address your falsehoods. You are an embarrassment to the division in this country.

It is my time. You have your time. Your time is over. You know how far we've come since you left? You can tell me my time is over? I'm not going anywhere.

Mr. Chairman.

I'm not afraid of you. Mr.. Chairman not afraid of you mr. Chairman point of order senator Booker I announced at the beginning of this meeting that this back-and-forth talking over each other Doesn't work, and I said if that happened I asked Patel not to respond And I was going to give him some time after the senators time was up to respond And that's he has the privilege to do that on going to give him some time after the senator's time was up to respond and that's he has the privilege to do that uninterrupted. Mr. Chairman one point go

ahead Mr. I've watched him talk over us and you've never once criticized him for us not even be able to get our questions out. He has been rude and disrespectful

to senator after senator. And when the senators were not giving him a chance to answer, I didn't stop the senator either.

Go ahead, Senator.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. If the FBI, under my seven-month leadership, were failing this administration and this country, why do we have 23,000 violent felons arrested this year alone? A double increase from that time last year. Why is it that we have seized 6,000 weapons? Why have we found 1,500 child predators and arrested them? Why have we have 300 human

traffickers in jail? Why have we found and identified 4,700 children? Why have we seized 1,600 kilograms of fentanyl, enough to kill a third of the American public, a 25 percent increase alone from last year? 88,000 kilograms of cocaine seized, 700 kilograms of meth seized, and that's just on our criminal operations in summer heat. How is it possible that we are taking 8 kilograms off the streets of the cities in New Jersey and preventing the deaths of 607,000 people this year alone, a failure of the FBI and

my leadership? How is it that we have counterintelligence arrest already this year, exceeding the numbers from the entirety of last year? 33% increase in PRC, 83% in Russia, 60% in the CI space as it relates to Iran, and we haven't even talked about CT,

the southern border, the northern border.

Before Senator Cruz, I kind of feel like a broken record today. All this interest in FBI termination, All this interest in FBI termination, yet my colleagues showed no intent or interest in.