Confrontation erupts over reports of Kash Patel’s ‘excessive drinking’

FBI Director Kash Patel clashed with Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen on Tuesday when asked about media reports that allege he drinks in excess. The Atlantic recently published a story alleging Patel “has alarmed colleagues with episodes of excessive drinking and unexplained absences,” and Patel has since sued the Atlantic, calling the reports false. During the exchange, Patel fired back, accusing the lawmaker of being the “only person that ran up a $7,000 bar tab in Washington, D.C. at the Lobby Bar.”