FBI Director Kash Patel is set to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday for an oversight hearing on the nation’s lead law enforcement agency.
The hearing is set to begin at 9 a.m. EDT on Sept. 15. Watch live in our video player above.
Patel’s time heading the FBI has been plagued by critical reports about his conduct, which have previously led to some tense questioning by Senate panels.
In May, he lashed out during a hearing when Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., asked about an article in The Atlantic that alleged Patel drinks excessively on the job and was sometimes unreachable to his staff. Patel responded that the allegations were “unequivocally, categorically false.”
READ MORE: FBI Director Kash Patel sues The Atlantic for article that alleged excessive drinking
Patel sued The Atlantic for defamation and reportedly had the FBI investigate the journalist who wrote the article.
Last September, Patel defended his competency to lead the bureau in a Senate Judiciary Committee oversight hearing seven months into his tenure. He faced questions about his handling of the investigation into the killing of Charlie Kirk, which garnered bipartisan criticism, and was urged by senators from both sides of the aisle to be more transparent about the Jeffrey Epstein files.
Democrats on the committee said in a social media post last week that they will demand Patel “answer for his failed leadership” during Tuesday’s hearing.
“When he was confirmed, we made it clear that Kash Patel lacked the experience, judgment, and temperament to lead the FBI,” the senators wrote. “Tragically, the results of his incompetence have been staggering.”
