Kash Patel erupts at Democrat in jaw-dropping clash: 'Slinging margaritas with a convicted rapist'

By VICTORIA CHURCHILL, US POLITICAL REPORTER Published: 23:25, 12 May 2026 | Updated: 23:27, 12 May 2026 FBI Director Kash Patel clashed with a sitting US Senator over alleged problems of excessive alcohol use during a fiery hearing over the agency's budget on Tuesday. Maryland Democrat Senator Chris Van Hollen took time out of his opening statement at a Tuesday appropriations hearing to ask Patel about a prior report by The Atlantic, which alleged that the FBI director has a reputation for excessive alcohol use. 'Director Patel, I don't care one bit about your private life,' Van Hollen noted, kicking off the exchange, adding, 'I don't give a damn what you do on your own time and your own dime, unless and until it interferes with your public responsibilities. The Atlantic published a report last month, which they have since been sued over, alleging that Patel has 'alarmed colleagues with episodes of excessive drinking and unexplained absences.' Van Hollen then continued his line of questioning, adding that Patel 'cannot perform those public duties if you're incapacitated.' He also added that there were 'reports of [Patel] being so drunk and so hungover that your staff had to force entry into your home.'  The FBI Director fired back, telling Van Hollen that the 'only person that was slinging margaritas in El Salvador and the taxpayer dollar with a convicted gang banging rapist' was him, in reference to a trip the Senator took to visit Kilmar Abrego Garcia. Patel was also asked if he would commit to taking 'audit test that members of the military take to determine whether they have a drinking problem,' to which he replied that he would if the Senator took it with him.  FBI director Kash Patel testifies during a hearing on Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Request for the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration; the United States Marshals Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in Washington, DC  Senator Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Demcorat, speaks on Capitol Hill, Tuesday May 12, 2026, in Washington, DC Van Hollen flew to El Salvador in April of 2025 to visit deported Salvadoran migrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a migrant who crossed into the U.S. illegally before settling down in Maryland and marrying an American woman. The Trump administration deported Abrego Garcia in March of 2025 because of his alleged ties to the violent gang MS-13, though the White House later admitted his removal came as a result of an 'administrative error,' and courts ordered that he be returned to the U.S. Amid the controversy over whether Abrego Garcia's deportation was lawful, documents revealing that he had beaten his American wife and was suspected by Maryland authorities to be an active MS-13 member surfaced. Picture obtained from the X account of Salvadorean President Nayib Bukele, @nayibbukele, showing US Senator Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat, (R) holding a meeting with Salvadoran migrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a US resident wrongfully deported to his home country, at a hotel in San Salvador on April 17, 2025 In April of 2025, the Daily Mail exclusively obtained a copy of a 2021 petition for protection from domestic violence filled out by Abrego Garcia's wife, Jennifer Vasquez that the alleged MS-13 member beat his wife multiple times over the years. In November 2020, Abrego Garcia hit Vasquez with his work boots, and in August 2020 he hit her in the eye, causing her to get a black eye, according to her petition. That same day Abrego Garcia started driving quickly, scaring his wife, as their one-year-old was in the back seat. 'In the recording you can hear him yelling, insulting me, driving extreme fast,' Vasquez told authorities. Later that day she left the residence they shared after being 'afraid to be close to him,' her request continued. Then in May 2021, after an argument at a gas station, the Salvadorian migrant punched and scratched his wife, 'leaving me bleeding,' Vasquez wrote. 'I have multiple photos/videos of how [violent] he can be and all the bruises he has left me,' she wrote. Despite her past testimony against her husband, Vasquez had been publicly supporting her husband amid his detention in El Salvador, calling for him to not be used in 'political games.' Despite Patel's claims, Abrego Garcia was never charged with rape. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. 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