Van Hollen Continues Bar Brawl With Patel Over FBI Director’s Alleged Drinking by Posting Completed AUDIT Form

A Democratic senator who dared FBI Director Kash Patel to take an alcohol abuse test during a contentious Senate hearing escalated their feud on social media Wednesday by posting a picture of his own completed form — despite both men earlier agreeing to do their tests “side-by-side.” Chris Van Hollen shared his completed Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, or AUDIT, form on X on Wednesday afternoon while prodding Mr. Patel to complete his. “Given all the lies he told yesterday, I imagine he’ll fudge the numbers here, but let’s see yours, Director Patel,” Mr. Van Hollen wrote in his X post. In his AUDIT form, Mr. Van Hollen admitted to drinking three times a week — and typically having, at most, two drinks on those occasions. He answered “never” to questions related to having six or more drinks at one go, being unable to stop drinking once he started, or requiring a drink when he woke up in the morning. A law enforcement source tells The New York Sun that Mr. Patel will take the test after President Trump returns from his trip to China. “He will take the test when he isn’t working on more important things like Chinese espionage,” the law enforcement source tells the Sun. A spokesperson for Mr. Van Hollen did not respond to questions from the Sun.On Tuesday, Mr. Patel and several other heads of federal law enforcement agencies appeared before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing regarding the 2027 budget requests for the FBI, DEA, and ATF, where the 46-year-old FBI director faced questions about an alleged drinking problem.Mr. Patel called the report “a total farce” and said he would “not be tarnished by baseless allegations” made by the Atlantic.Mr. Van Hollen said the magazine’s coverage of Mr. Patel’s alleged drinking problem — including concerns over his “conspicuous inebriation” at a members-only club in Washington and an incident in which his security detail requested “breaching equipment” to gain access to a room where an “unresponsive” Mr. Patel was located — demonstrated a “betrayal of public trust.”Mr. Patel filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against the Atlantic magazine and reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick, who responded by publishing another unflattering article highlighting Mr. Patel’s collection of Woodford Reserve whiskey bottles bearing his personal branding. House Judiciary Democrats have also demanded that Mr. Patel take the AUDIT survey over the Atlantic’s “damning and explosive report.” Mr. Patel has vehemently denied the allegations, instead turning attention towards the FBI’s recent successes that include a 20 percent drop in the nationwide murder rate and a 184 percent increase in violent crime arrests. Tuesday’s hearing devolved into a shouting match between Messrs. Van Holten and Mr. Patel, with the Democrat challenging the FBI director to take an AUDIT to determine if he had a drinking problem.“I’ll take any test you’re willing to take,” Mr. Patel replied. “I will take it, Director Patel,” Mr. Van Hollen said. “Let’s go. Side-by-side,” a visibly irritated Mr. Patel fired back. Also during Tuesday’s hearing, Mr. Patel accused Mr. Van Hollen of running up a $7,128 bar tab during a staff party at the Lobby Bar in Washington — even posting the Federal Election Commission expenditure report on his FBI X account for emphasis. “Fact check,” Mr. Patel wrote on X.During the hearing, Mr. Patel brought up the Senator’s meeting with the El Salvador President, Nayib Bukele, and Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran and alleged MS-13 gang member who is at the center of a protracted battle over his deportation to his native country. “The only person that was slinging margaritas in El Salvador with a convicted, gang-banging rapist was you,” Mr. Patel said. Late Tuesday evening, Mr. Van Hollen posted a photo of that meeting, adding that “glasses were placed in front of us but we did not drink them.”He added, “I know that may be a confusing concept for Director Patel.”FBI spokesman Ben Williamson fired back at the Senator on X shortly thereafter.“The person you are sitting with is an illegal alien and suspected human trafficker, member of MS-13, and domestic abuser – but thank you for (allegedly) exercising restraint on your margarita,” Mr. Williamson wrote on X Tuesday.

Van Hollen Continues Bar Brawl With Patel Over FBI Director’s Alleged Drinking by Posting Completed AUDIT Form

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