Senators press FBI chief on loyalty claim and fitness standards at Judiciary hearing
At a contentious Senate Judiciary oversight hearing, FBI Director Kash Patel defended new applicant fitness standards that add pull-ups beginning Nov. 2025 (minimums reportedly 2–3 for men and 1 for women, with medical exemptions) and rejected Democratic allegations that he has installed “loyalty tests,” saying his allegiance is to the Constitution, not former President Trump. Senators including Adam Schiff, Dick Durbin and Mazie Hirono pressed Patel on leadership and management concerns — from a premature social‑media post in the Charlie Kirk case and reported firings and reassignments to accusations of partisan hires and polygraph loyalty screenings — while Patel touted recruitment gains, increased cyber arrests and backed measures to target funders of violent protests.
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📰 Sources (9)
Transcript: Rep. Mike Turner on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," Sept. 28, 2025
New information:
- Rep. Mike Turner on Sept. 28 said the reported figure of 274 FBI agents is 'significantly different' than previously known and that the role and actions of those agents need explanation.
- Turner explicitly urged that the FBI and former director Chris Wray explain how any new information relates to existing inspector general findings.
- Turner noted the distinction between information already reviewed (Inspector General report) and 'new information' being reported in the news, stressing the need for review.
WATCH: Defiant Kash Patel says he’s ‘proud’ to lead FBI after explosive hearing
New information:
- Patel claims the FBI currently has the most applicants for agent and intelligence analyst roles in the bureau’s history.
- Patel says he does not regret his early social‑media post about the Charlie Kirk suspect being in custody, conceding he could have worded it better but citing transparency.
- Sen. Dick Durbin alleges Patel installed 'MAGA loyalists' and imposed internal 'loyalty tests,' including polygraph tests, with some officials needing waivers after failing.
- Sen. Mazie Hirono criticizes a push‑up requirement in new fitness standards; Patel defends it, saying agents should be able to do a pull‑up to apprehend suspects.
- Patel reiterates he is 'proud' to lead the FBI and touts the bureau 'crushing violent crime and defending the homeland.'
Cruz doubles down against groups funding Charlie Kirk protests; FBI director backs bill during hearing
New information:
- FBI Director Kash Patel agreed at the Senate Judiciary hearing that making rioting a RICO predicate and passing Sen. Ted Cruz’s STOP FUNDERs Act would benefit FBI operations.
- Sen. Cruz urged DOJ and FBI to 'follow the money' to groups allegedly funding disruptions at Charlie Kirk vigils and other extremist protests.
- White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller alleged organized 'drop points' for gear used in riots and said 'somebody is paying for all of this.'
- Cruz reaffirmed support for the death penalty for the accused Kirk assassin, calling it 'absolutely merited.'
Schiff: Patel's FBI leadership replaced expertise with 'rabid partisanship'
New information:
- Schiff publicly alleged Patel is replacing non‑partisanship with 'the most rabid partisanship' and 'expertise with incompetence' in the FBI.
- Patel reportedly called Schiff a 'political buffoon' during their exchange (specific insult detail).
- Schiff highlighted Patel’s testimony claiming there was 'no credible evidence' that Jeffrey Epstein trafficked women other than himself, calling the statement 'startling' and contradictory to Patel’s prior assertions about a broader 'client list.'
- Schiff said Patel refused to answer why Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche declined to press Ghislaine Maxwell on Cabinet members she identified as 'close' to Epstein.
WATCH LIVE: FBI Director Patel appears at House hearing amid criticism over Charlie Kirk killing
New information:
- Patel escalated a clash with Sen. Adam Schiff, calling him 'the biggest fraud to ever sit in the United States Senate' and 'an utter coward,' with Schiff responding that Patel is 'an internet troll.'
- Patel defended his early social‑media post after Charlie Kirk’s killing that said 'the subject' was in custody, saying he didn’t view it as a mistake and should have written 'a subject' instead.
- Patel highlighted that the suspect in Kirk’s assassination was arrested within roughly 33 hours.
- Democrats cited a wave of FBI firings; Patel said terminations are for failing standards, while names cited in questioning included Steve Jensen and Brian Driscoll.
3 takeaways from Kash Patel’s tense oversight hearing
New information:
- Patel said he does not view his premature social media post about a suspect in the Charlie Kirk case as a mistake, adding he could have been 'more careful' by saying 'a subject' rather than 'the subject.'
- Sen. Dick Durbin criticized Patel for being 'so anxious to take credit,' saying law enforcement should 'shut up and let the professionals do their job.'
- On Epstein records, Patel labeled early prosecutorial decisions an 'original sin,' criticizing former U.S. attorney Alex Acosta for limited search warrants and a 2008 plea/non‑prosecution deal, adding 'If I were the FBI director then, it wouldn’t have happened.'
- Hearing context included reported management concerns during the Kirk manhunt (a profanity-laced internal call, Patel dining in New York during the manhunt, and a forced resignation in the Salt Lake City office), which senators cited while questioning his leadership.
Patel defends FBI pull-up test after Hirono decries it as gender bias in Senate showdown
New information:
- Patel defended a new FBI applicant fitness policy requiring pull-ups starting in Nov. 2025, with minimums of 2–3 for men and 1 for women; medical exemptions possible.
- Patel’s quote: “If you want to chase down a bad guy … you had better be able to do a pull-up,” and “Doing one pull-up is not harsh.”
- FBI recruitment site specifics: pull-ups become a required event in Nov. 2025; up to 10 points awarded for 20+ pull-ups on the PFT.
- Patel rejected Hirono’s claim of loyalty to Trump, citing 16 years of service and saying his loyalty is to the Constitution.
- Operational stats under Patel: 409 cyber arrests and 169 convictions this year, a 42% increase over the same period last year.
- Patel said agent reassignments were part of a violent-crime resource surge rather than departures from primary roles.
- White House @RapidResponse47 account amplified the exchange in a viral clip.
Kash Patel calls Adam Schiff ‘political buffoon’ during heated Epstein–Maxwell hearing exchange
New information:
- Event: Senate Judiciary oversight hearing on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025
- Who: FBI Director Kash Patel; Sen. Adam Schiff; Deputy AG Todd Blanche; Bureau of Prisons
- Issue: Congressional scrutiny of Maxwell’s transfer to minimum security and related DOJ/BOP decision-making; Patel’s on‑record rebuke of Schiff
Patel says "original sin" in Epstein case was Acosta's handling
New information:
- Patel explicitly named Alex Acosta’s prosecution decisions as the 'original sin' in the Epstein case.
- Axios ties Patel’s 'original sin' remark specifically to Acosta’s handling, adding attribution beyond prior generic references.