Kash Patel testifies on FBI oversight before Senate committee

FBI Director Kash Patel is testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday morning for an oversight hearing, the first time Patel is testifying since he clashed with lawmakers over reports of job performance issues more than four months ago.

The hearing comes after the committee's top Democrat called on Patel to be replaced following a report published in The Atlantic in May that alleged Patel had "bouts of excessive drinking" and job performance issues.

Sen. Dick Durbin, the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said in a statement that Patel lacks "the experience, judgment, and temperament to lead the FBI" and should be "replaced immediately." Durbin reiterated those comments in his opening statements on Tuesday morning.

The report in The Atlantic was a focus of several lawmakers' questions when Patel last testified on Capitol Hill in May with several heated exchanges over Patel's drinking habits and job performance.

Patel said earlier this year that he's "never been intoxicated on the job," following the report. Patel sued The Atlantic over the article, demanding $250 million in damages.

During Tuesday's hearing, Patel is expected to tout decreased crime nationwide, according to a source familiar with his testimony. President Donald Trump has frequently promoted a decrease in crime, saying on Friday that crime is "under control."

The director will tout the increase in violent crime arrests, which are up 90%, arresting violent gang members are up 31% and he is expected to say it is the "most prolific run of crime reduction in history," according to a source. 

The FBI says violent crime is down 9.3% from 2024 to 2025.

Patel is also expected to discuss the FBI's efforts to thwart major terrorist incidents and highlight information sharing among law enforcement partners, according to a source familiar with his testimony.

He is expected to talk about how he has made the FBI more nimble as director, accelerating the reduction of bureaucracy of the agency.

Patel's time at the helm of the FBI has been marked by several controversies, which lawmakers may question him about. Earlier this year, Patel joined in on Team USA hockey's locker room celebrations in Italy shortly after the team won the gold medal, which drew scrutiny about his use of FBI resources to attend. He was also grilled during a House hearing late last year about his handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files.