Democrat Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii clashed with FBI Director Kash Patel during a heated Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday, questioning agency firing and counterterrorism priorities and even calling the bureau’s physical fitness requirements ‘harsh’ for applicants.

In an exclusive statement to Fox News Digital, Patel said, ‘Americans expect their FBI agents to be capable, resilient and ready to protect them.

‘That’s why, under my watch, every field office is receiving more trained agents, more boots on the ground and a renewed commitment to getting out from behind the desks and back onto the streets where they’re needed most. We’re rebuilding a bureau that earns the public’s confidence by being present, prepared and physically ready to do the job.’

The most viral clash came when Hirono pressed Patel on fitness standards.

‘One question I had is that you are now requiring applicants to be able to do a certain kind of pull-ups, which a lot of women cannot because of physiological differences. Are you requiring these kinds of pull-ups?’ Hirono asked.

Patel didn’t budge.

‘We are requiring everybody to pass the 1811 standards at BFTC. If you want to chase down a bad guy, excuse me, and put him in handcuffs, you had better be able to do a pull-up.’

Hirono replied, ‘There are concerns about whether or not being able to do these kinds of harsh pull-ups is really required of FBI agents.’

Patel interjected, ‘Doing one pull-up is not harsh, and there are always medical exemptions to that.’

According to the FBI recruitment website, ‘Starting in November 2025, pull-ups will be a required event for all candidates.’ For male recruits, 2-3 pull-ups are now a required minimum alongside the traditional Physical Fitness Test (PFT). For female candidates, one pull-up is the required minimum. 

Any additional pull-ups count to a recruit’s overall PFT score, with the maximum points received for 20 or more pull-ups capped at 10.

The White House’s official X account, @RapidResponse47, shared the exchange in a now-viral clip on X.

Beyond fitness standards, Hirono accused Patel of being loyal to Trump rather than the FBI.

‘Your most significant qualification … was your 100% loyalty to President Trump. And I fear that continues to be the motivating factor in your position as FBI director.’

Patel rejected that claim. 

‘That is an entire falsehood. You can delete my 16 years of government service to multiple administrations all you want. … There was no loyalty then. There’s no loyalty now to anything but the Constitution.’

Patel also used the hearing to share the bureau’s wins under his leadership. He pointed to 409 cyber arrests this year and 169 convictions, a 42% increase from the same time last year.

The FBI and the office of Sen. Mazie Hirono did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., shared just a brief four-word response when a reporter asked him on Tuesday why he missed a congressional vigil for Charlie Kirk.

‘I had a meeting,’ Jeffries said when the matter was broached during his afternoon press conference.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., announced on Monday that Congress would hold a vigil later that evening to honor the conservative activist.

Kirk was assassinated last week when a gunman opened fire on him during a college campus speaking event in Utah.

Fox News Digital witnessed just a handful of House Democrats at the vigil, side by side with dozens of Republican lawmakers.

When asked why more Democrats did not attend, Jeffries said Tuesday, ‘I don’t know.’

‘I guess you’d have to talk to the individual Democrats as to what else was going on and why they were present or why they weren’t present,’ he said.

The vigil was held in the U.S. Capitol’s Statuary Hall in the 6 p.m. hour on Monday evening.

Democratic lawmakers who attended include Reps. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash., John Larson, D-Conn., Jimmy Panetta, D-Calif., Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., Chris Pappas, D-N.H., and Don Davis, D-N.C.

Notably absent were the top four House Democrats in senior leadership, including Jeffries.

Johnson, however, downplayed the lack of Democratic attendance in comments to reporters on Monday.

‘I honestly did not even see the composition of the group,’ he said when asked if he was disappointed in the number of Democrats who showed up.

‘I’m glad it was bipartisan, and I wish more had participated, and I’m not sure why they didn’t. So I don’t know what else we can do other than offer an all-member bipartisan vigil. And we’ve done that routinely for other things.’

Fox News’ Kelly Phares and Fox News Radio’s Ryan Schmelz contributed to this report.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi faced a torrent of criticism online Tuesday after she suggested in two separate interviews that the Justice Department would ‘absolutely target’ hate speech in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s shooting death — sparking intense backlash from Republicans and other conservatives and prompting her to further clarify her remarks.

Bondi attempted to bridge the divide between her remarks and what she called hate speech that leads to threats in a lengthy social media post Tuesday.

‘Hate speech that crosses the line into threats of violence is NOT protected by the First Amendment,’ Bondi said, citing three U.S. laws that criminalize threats of direct violence, such as threats of kidnapping or injury. ‘It’s a crime.’ 

‘For far too long, we’ve watched the radical left normalize threats, call for assassinations, and cheer on political violence. That era is over,’ she said, adding that ‘free speech protects ideas, debate, even dissent but it does NOT and will NEVER protect violence.’

Bondi’s remarks, made during a ‘The Katie Miller Podcast’ interview and in an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity during conversations about the fatal shooting of Kirk, prompted backlash across the aisle, though it was conservative voices who were the loudest. Many noted that Kirk, the Turning Point USA founder and subject of the interviews, was himself a vociferous defender of free speech protections under the First Amendment, which protects most forms of speech in the U.S., including offensive and hateful speech.

Many also appeared to view the new statement as insufficient cover for Bondi’s previous remarks. 

‘This isn’t a correction or a retraction or a retreat; it’s a post hoc attempt to bend the term ‘hate speech’ to mean something that it never has,’ Charles C.W. Cooke, a senior editor at the National Review, said on social media.

Nearly 24 hours after Bondi’s remarks, the criticism has continued — nearly all of it from Republicans and other notable conservative voices.

Bondi came under fire for the two interviews Monday, neither of which distinguished the type of speech that threatened imminent violence from hate speech.

 ‘There’s free speech and then there’s hate speech,’ Bondi said Monday in an interview with former Trump administration aide and podcast host Katie Miller.

.’We will absolutely target you, go after you, if you are targeting anyone with hate speech,’ Bondi said.

In a separate interview on Fox News, Bondi reiterated a similar sentiment, suggesting that the government could prosecute Office Depot after an employee reportedly refused to print posters with Kirk’s face on them.

She said further that the department was ‘looking at’ the Office Depot case in question.

‘Businesses cannot discriminate,’ Bondi said on Fox News. ‘If you want to go in and print posters with Charlie’s pictures on them for a vigil, you have to let them do that. We can prosecute you for that.’

‘I have Harmeet Dhillon right now in our Civil Rights unit looking at that immediately, that Office Depot had done that,’ she said of the Office Depot employee in question. ‘We’re looking it up,’ she said.

Most of the criticism that poured in Tuesday was from Republicans, who noted that Bondi’s remarks are a flagrant violation of free speech protections guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution.

They are also, some noted, directly at odds with the views famously espoused by Kirk.

‘Hate speech’ is a hopelessly subjective term, and even if it weren’t, there is no hate-speech exception to the First Amendment,’ said Ed Whelan, a conservative legal expert who formerly clerked for the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.

‘I’m sorry, but this is the sort of leftwing progressivism that conservatives, including Charlie Kirk, abhorred,’ Erick Erickson said on X. ‘We stand with Jack Philips, not against him.’

Asked by ABC News’s Jon Karl to respond to Bondi’s remarks on Tuesday, Trump declined to clarify, and instead floated the idea of going after Karl’s outlet, albeit in a joking tone.

‘We’ll probably go after people like you, because you treat me so unfairly,’ Trump said.

Jurors in the federal trial of Ryan Routh — accused of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump at his West Palm Beach golf club in 2024 — heard new evidence Tuesday from FBI digital and DNA specialists, including alleged text messages blasting Trump and lab results tying Routh’s DNA to key items.

Routh’s witness list also narrowed. Before jurors entered, Routh, who is representing himself in the trial, told the court, ‘As far as I’m concerned, we’re going to exclude my son,’ confirming he will not call Oran Routh, who is in separate federal custody, as a witness. Judge Aileen Cannon noted he could not revisit that decision later.

Judge Cannon cut off both prosecutors and Routh multiple times Tuesday, at one point asking, ‘How much longer is this going to take?’ She also reminded Routh to stop interrupting. When he complained, ‘I don’t have hot water and can’t shower … I won’t shower for a month,’ Cannon told him there were ‘proper administrative procedures … not piecemeal, as you have grown accustomed to.’

FBI Digital forensic examiner Jerry Llanes testified Tuesday for U.S. prosecutors that a Samsung phone recovered from Routh’s black Nissan Xterra had WhatsApp messages that included a Feb. 3, 2024, exchange with a contact saved as ‘Chinese hero to fight.’

‘I know it’s very different… I think Kennedy was killed from a hill… Certainly not an easy task. If I can help, just let me know what to do,’ Routh wrote.

In another chain with someone listed as ‘Ben,’ Routh texted: ‘What do you think of Trump?’ 

Ben replied: ‘Not a fan.’ 

‘I hate him,’ Routh responded. ‘Shan’t get elected again.’

And in a WhatsApp thread with ‘Captain Talk Recruiting,’ Routh said: ‘I think Trump will be a big problem for Ukraine … For sure, what an idiot. He needs to go away. He cancelled the [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action] for Iran. What an idiot. I hate him.’

From another device, Llanes described images showing flight searches from Miami to Mexico and Bogotá, Colombia, and a photo that ‘appears to be a rifle tied to a tree.’

FBI DNA examiner Kara Gregor additionally testified that Routh’s DNA was strongly linked to the rifle grip, a reddish-brown bag, a zip tie, a bungee cord and a glove. On the rifle, she said the DNA evidence was ‘250 centillion times more likely if the contributors were Routh and two unknown individuals than if the contributors were three unknown individuals.’

Routh challenged her on cross-examination with sarcasm: ‘Did you test a Colt .45 case? A golf tee? A blue flashlight? How about a Sunny D?’ 

Gregor responded that many of those items were not tested, or she could not recall.

The trial, moving quickly due to Routh’s quick cross examinations, continues Wednesday with more forensic experts expected. U.S. prosecutors are expected to wrap up presenting their case by Friday and Routh will bring his witnesses to the stand next week.

The federal trial of Ryan Routh, accused of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump as he played golf in September 2024, resumes Tuesday with more FBI forensic experts scheduled to testify.

On Monday, jurors heard FBI Firearms and Toolmarks Examiner Erich Smith, who alleged the rifle found near the sixth hole of Trump International Golf Club was a Chinese-made Norinco SKS. Smith said the weapon was ‘in working condition’ when recovered, test-fired successfully at the FBI lab and was configured with a round in the chamber and the safety off — meaning it was ‘prepared to fire.’ 

He also testified the rifle’s serial number had been ‘obliterated in several places’ but could be partially restored.

Smith showed jurors the 7.62×39 mm full metal jacket rounds loaded in the rifle. 

‘Bullets are designed to put holes in things,’ he said. ‘It would have put a hole in something if it had hit the target.’

Routh, representing himself, cross-examined Smith about whether all SKS rifles are semi-automatic, whether test-firings were videotaped and whether the gun could have changed hands at a gun show before he obtained it. 

‘So, we’re just supposed to take your word for it?‘ Routh asked Smith. 

Smith replied: ‘That’s what happened.’ 

Trump-appointed Judge Aileen Cannon sustained prosecution objections when Routh strayed beyond the scope of testimony. 

The court also heard from FBI biologist Curtis Gaul, who testified about collecting potential DNA samples from the rifle grip, a glove, zip ties and other items found. Routh cross-examined briefly, asking where the glove was found and whether Gaul knew who removed the rifle’s scope.

Cannon cut off questioning several times, urging both prosecutors and Routh to keep examinations moving. 

Jurors appeared confused during parts of Gaul’s testimony, as prosecutors referenced exhibit numbers without always displaying them. Meanwhile, Routh was seen leaning forward, taking notes and staring intently when fingerprints reportedly matching his own were displayed on a screen.

When court resumes Tuesday morning, prosecutors are expected to call FBI biologist Kara Gregor, followed by additional FBI specialists in digital forensics and supervisory roles as they continue building their case against Routh.

The House Oversight Committee on Tuesday released a roughly 120-page transcript of former Attorney General Bill Barr’s deposition, and it appears to affirm Republicans’ claims that the former Department of Justice (DOJ) official had no knowledge of any incriminating ties between President Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein.

That’s despite the top Democrat on the committee claiming last month that the full transcript did not clear Trump of wrongdoing.

The House Oversight Committee has been investigating the DOJ handling of Epstein’s case, having subpoenaed multiple people and entities in the process.

Among them is Barr, who told investigators that he’s had two conversations with Trump about Epstein – once after the late convicted sex offender committed suicide, and another time he could not place.

Barr also denied Trump expressed any views on the DOJ’s Epstein probe, nor did he give instructions or state preferences in its conduct, according to the transcript obtained by Fox News Digital.

During a line of questioning led by Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, Barr said he never recalled telling Trump his name appeared in documents related to Epstein.

‘I’m curious to know, in those conversations that you do recall with the president, do you recall ever informing him that he was in the Epstein files at all, number one?’ Crockett asked, according to the transcript.

Barr replied, ‘Well, I’m not sure what ‘Epstein files’ refer to these days. But, no, I didn’t – I didn’t have that kind of conversation with him. I think at some point logs were made public that he was on Epstein’s plane making commutes from – or flying between Miami and New York or Miami and New Jersey or stuff like that, and I think that that got out publicly. I don’t recall discussing that with him.’

Crockett then asked, ‘And you have no direct knowledge of any of the young women or women that claimed that they had encounters with the president through Epstein, correct?’

‘I was never told that there was evidence to support that claim,’ Barr said, according to the transcript.

Barr later told investigators that he believed any incriminating evidence about Trump would have leaked if it existed, and he suggested the same would have been true of former President Bill Clinton, who, like Trump, was also known to be friendly with Epstein at one point.

‘I think it would come out if there was any feeling that, within the government, on either side, that someone was covering up. I think it would get out. I mean, [the Southern District of New York] is also – and New York – is also well-known as being the home of many, many a leak on investigations,’ Barr said.

A House Oversight lawyer asked, ‘So, in your experience, you have no doubt, if SDNY prosecutors saw evidence of a crime, they would’ve followed that evidence, and if it led to an indictment, they would’ve indicted, and if it led to a conviction, they would’ve followed the facts where they led. Is that fair?’

Barr said he would have anticipated such moves, even for high-profile individuals.

‘I also feel, you know, that, you know, they would’ve done the same for Clinton, I believe,’ he said.

‘I think – you know, remember, this stuff also went on under President [Joe] Biden’s administration, and they were looking for something to bring against President Trump, and this was – if they had evidence, this would’ve been low-hanging fruit. I just don’t – I was never informed of the evidence, and I’m skeptical there is any.’

The former Trump administration official also conceded, however, ‘I think it is possible that the SDNY did not inform me, you know, how deep they were in the investigation of particular individuals. That would not surprise me.’

‘By the same token, I feel that my view of that office and the people involved would be that, if they had evidence establishing a crime, they would pursue it as such,’ Barr added.

Partisan sparks flew after Barr’s testimony after the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., argued that his remarks did not clear Trump of wrongdoing.

‘[T]o be clear, yesterday, during his deposition with the committee, Attorney General Barr could not clear President Trump of wrongdoing. Chairman [James Comer, R-Ky.,] should release the full unedited transcript of his interview for the public,’ Garcia wrote in an August statement.

But the transcript appears to show that, at least to Barr’s recollection, Trump was not tied to Epstein in any criminally liable way.

Of the two conversations with Trump regarding Epstein, Barr said, ‘One was when I heard about the suicide. I called him up and said, ‘You better brace for this,’ and I told him words to that effect, and I told him about it and told him we were going to be investigating it very vigorously. And the second one, I can’t say for sure whether it happened before his suicide, during – meaning around the time of his arrest or whether it happened after his suicide during the continued developments there.’

The transcript also showed Barr defending current Attorney General Pam Bondi reportedly informing Trump that his name appeared in the Epstein files in recent months as standard procedure.

‘I think that would normally be what the attorney general would do, you know, is to give the president a heads-up if something is going to happen like that, the release of documents that have his name in it and that will be, you know, a lot – there would be a lot of speculation about it,’ Barr said. 

‘It’s completely normal to tell the chief executive that his name is about to be released. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that.’

Barr did not recall many specifics of the investigation throughout, but he did concede at one point that there were shortcomings in the federal probe. More specifically, he described the period when authorities were unable to locate Ghislaine Maxwell as ’embarrassing.’

And despite controversy erupting over the DOJ declaring the case closed earlier this year, Barr dismissed any conspiracy theories about Epstein’s death.

‘Absolutely,’ he answered when asked if he still believed Epstein committed suicide.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, revealed Tuesday that the FBI’s election-related investigation into President Donald Trump, launched in 2022, swept in dozens of Republican entities, including the late Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA.

Speaking during a hearing focused on oversight of the FBI, Grassley said the investigation, which the bureau called ‘Arctic Frost,’ was partisan in nature and that its expansive scope was evidence of that.

‘In other words, Arctic Frost wasn’t just a case to politically investigate Trump,’ Grassley said. ‘It was a vehicle by which partisan FBI agents and Department of Justice prosecutors could achieve their partisan ends and improperly investigate the entire Republican political apparatus.’

Since January, Grassley and Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., have been publishing records related to Arctic Frost, the investigation launched during FBI Director Chris Wray’s tenure that served as the basis for former special counsel Jack Smith to bring criminal charges against Trump related to the 2020 election.

Grassley unveiled a new set of documents during his opening statement on Tuesday that showed numerous Republican-affiliated organizations and people were targeted with subpoenas during Arctic Frost.

Some targets on the list were well known, such as Trump lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell, who spread unproven allegations that widespread election fraud occurred during the 2020 election. But the basis for targeting other groups, like Kirk’s group and the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA), was less clear.

‘For years, the deep state, unelected Biden bureaucrats — including the FBI — used lawfare to target Republican AGs and many other close friends because we were allies of Donald Trump,’ RAGA Executive Director Adam Piper said in a statement to Fox News Digital. ‘The Biden Administration bastardized the rule of law, gave license to lawless liberals, and did everything possible to kneecap any and all opposition. Republican AGs will work to hold these bad actors accountable and help President Trump restore objectivity to our federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies.’

Kirk was assassinated last week while speaking during an event at Utah Valley University. He was a prolific conservative activist and his massive organization remains a part of his legacy. Turning Point USA recruited conservative college students and was heavily involved in promoting election turnout. In the aftermath of the 2020 election, Kirk amplified some of Trump’s claims about election fraud.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and Department of Justice leaders have said the suspect in Kirk’s shooting, Tyler Robinson, was driven by leftist ideology but that the investigation remains in an early stage. Authorities said antifascist messaging found on bullet casings, Discord messages and other messages have helped to develop an understanding of Robinson’s motive as the investigation continues.

Fox News Digital’s Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.

The Trump administration said Tuesday it would appeal a lower court’s decision blocking the president’s effort to fire Fed’s Lisa Cook to the Supreme Court, an eleventh-hour effort to remove her from the board in the run-up to a crucial interest rate-setting meeting.

White House officials confirmed to Fox News Digital that they will seek to stay the lower court’s ruling, and a filing is expected imminently. 

‘The president lawfully removed Lisa Cook for cause,’ White House spokesman Kush Desai said in a statement. ‘The administration will appeal this decision and looks forward to ultimate victory on the issue.’ 

On Monday, the U.S. Court of Appeals blocked President Donald Trump from immediately firing Lisa Cook from her role on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, clearing the way for her to participate in a crucial interest rate-setting meeting that begins in a matter of hours.

It was not immediately clear whether the Trump administration would seek an emergency stay from the Supreme Court before the two-day meeting of central bankers kicks off on Tuesday. 

For months, Trump has pressed the Federal Reserve to cut rates in order to help spur the nation’s economic growth. Fed watchers broadly expect the central bank to cut rates during the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC). 

The outcome of the FOMC meeting impacts every American, with knock-down effects felt in borrowing costs from everything from mortgages to credit cards. 

The D.C. Appeals Court ruling also comes as the Senate narrowly voted 48-47 Monday night to approve Trump’s Fed board nominee, Stephen Miran. He will also participate in the FOMC meeting that will help decide the direction of the economy.

Trump last month tapped Miran — who currently leads the White House Council of Economic Advisers — to fill the seat vacated by Federal Reserve Governor Adriana Kugler, following her resignation in August. He will finish the remainder of Kugler’s term, which ends on Jan. 31, 2026.

Last week, U.S. District Court Judge Jia Cobb temporarily blocked Cook’s firing, allowing her to continue in her current role for now. She said Trump likely violated Cook’s due process rights and that the Federal Reserve statute does not account for conduct that occurred before a governor took office, like the mortgage fraud alleged against Cook.

The allegations originated with Bill Pulte, a Trump appointee to the federal agency that regulates Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. 

Pulte tied Cook to a trio of properties in Michigan, Georgia, and Massachusetts, which prompted scrutiny over whether Cook had misrepresented how the homes would be used. The three mortgage loans were issued in 2021, before she was nominated by former President Joe Biden to join the Fed board. 

Pulte made two separate referrals to the Justice Department over Cook’s mortgage applications.

Trump seized on those allegations and ousted Cook on Aug. 25, which prompted her to sue him in federal court three days later. Her lawsuit named as defendants Trump, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell.

The suit, which was filed on Aug. 28, centered on whether Trump satisfied the ‘for cause’ provisions under federal law required to remove a sitting Fed governor, is the first of its kind. Cook’s lawsuit does not address the allegations that she listed multiple houses as a primary residence on mortgage filings. 

The Justice Department opened a criminal investigation on Sept. 4 into Cook over allegations of mortgage application fraud. Her lawyer, Abbe Lowell, wrote in a filing on Sept. 2 that she ‘did not ever commit mortgage fraud.’

Cook’s lawyers have also stressed both in court filings and in arguments before Judge Cobb last month the novelty of Trump’s attempt to oust her — a move they argued lacked sufficient cause, and could be used as a dangerous pretext to oust other members of independent federal boards.

FBI Director Kash Patel vowed that the bureau would continue on a quest for transparency during his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee as criticism of his handling of the Charlie Kirk assassination investigation lingers.

In his opening statement to the committee obtained by Fox News Digital, Patel listed a series of accomplishments the agency has achieved since President Donald Trump took office, including tens of thousands of arrests, a realignment of the agency and an emphasis on cracking down on illicit drugs.

Patel acknowledged the growing criticism over his direction of the FBI and challenged lawmakers on the panel to come after him. 

‘I’m not going anywhere,’ he said. ‘If you want to criticize my 16 years of service, please bring it on.’

Patel kicked off his testimony by offering an update on the FBI’s investigation into the ‘appalling assassination of Charlie Kirk.’

‘It’s important that the FBI is as transparent as possible without jeopardizing our investigation,’ Patel said.

The FBI chief listed off numerous findings in the case, including an ‘extensive review’ of suspect Tyler Robinson’s accounts and devices. He said over 100 interviews had been conducted since the shooting, and that the FBI has received over 11,000 submissions through the National Threat Operations Center and over 16,000 submissions through the Digital Media Tipline.

‘We are making a traditionally nontransparent agency the most transparent it has ever been,’ Patel said.

He lauded the public participation in the case, too, and noted that the tens of thousands of tips that poured in helped identify a suspect.

‘Tyler Robinson is in custody today because of this partnership,’ he said.

Patel’s appearance before the committee had been on the books for weeks before Kirk’s death and was initially geared as an annual oversight hearing of the FBI. However, his handling of the investigation, social media misfires and a wave of firings at the agency have generated fresh scrutiny over his leadership.

Patel came under the microscope for a post he made on X in the hours after Kirk was killed, where he wrote, ‘The subject for the horrific shooting today that took the life of Charlie Kirk is now in custody.’

However, that individual and another were caught and released before law enforcement nabbed 22-year-old Robinson, some 33 hours after the shooting.

Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, addressed Kirk briefly in his opening remarks, saying, ‘God Bless you, Charlie Kirk.’

The chair, who has advocated for whistleblowers for decades, then dove into lengthy remarks about government weaponization and praised Patel for compensating what he said were 10 FBI employees who lost their security clearances in recent years.

‘In the short amount of time you’ve been director, you’ve corrected whistleblower retaliation and increased transparency more than any other FBI director I’ve seen, and I’ve been around here more than anyone else on this committee,’ Grassley said.

But the top Democrat on the committee, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., zeroed in on the wide swath of DOJ and FBI personnel who have been fired, sometimes without explanation, a topic expected to crop up repeatedly during Democrats’ questioning.

Durbin criticized Patel’s deference to Trump, saying the director ‘installed MAGA loyalists’ to key positions and initiated internal ‘loyalty tests,’ including polygraph tests. Durbin revealed that some FBI officials failed those tests and needed waivers to continue working at the bureau.

He noted the recent lawsuit brought by three ousted top FBI officials, who have accused Patel of unconstitutionally firing them and wielding the president’s Article II powers to do so.

Durbin also noted that Patel has little experience working in law enforcement, calling his inexperience ‘staggering’ and accusing him of fast-tracking similarly unqualified recruits to fill the FBI’s open jobs.

Patel repeatedly stressed that he has made strides to transform the agency into a more transparent organization and used the ‘Epstein files’ as an example.

Earlier this year a memo from the DOJ and FBI stated that ‘it is the determination of the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation that no further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted,’ after investigating the tens of thousands of documents associated with Jeffrey Epstein.

That triggered a firestorm on Capitol Hill that is still roiling. Prior to becoming director, Patel had promoted the idea that the government was hiding a secret list of sexual predators affiliated with Epstein. Patel during the hearing argued that the ‘original sin’ of the Epstein case began in the early 2000s, where ‘very limited search warrants that didn’t intake as much material into the FBI possession as it should have’ were issued. 

‘If I were FBI director then, I wouldn’t have allowed such a limited search warrant to be issued for these types of atrocious offenses,’ he said.

He argued that under former U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta, Epstein was allowed to enter into a plea deal with non-prosecution agreements, ‘plus the courts issued protective orders and sealed large volumes of material from ever being disclosed.’

‘The non-prosecution barred any future criminal culpability for this entire time period,’ Patel said.  ‘Still, this administration has done more than any of the previous administrations to seek transparency in this case.’

‘[The] DOJ has made motions to the court to unseal grand jury records on multiple occasions, but the courts have denied these motions,’ he continued. ‘Further, it was the first Trump administration that brought the renewed case against Epstein in 2019. Under the direction of this president, we have turned over ALL credible information in conjunction with our partners in Congress.’