Theatrics is the key word in this artcle.
Democrat Senator Cory Booker had yet another one of his trademark meltdowns on Capitol Hill, this time during testimony from FBI Director Kash Patel. When Patel tried to push back on Booker’s accusations, the New Jersey senator went off the rails.
The exchange quickly turned chaotic.
Grassley (Chair): Do you want to say anything? Yes, sir.
Patel (FBI): That rant of false information does not bring this country together. If you want to work on bringing this country together—it’s my time, not yours.
Booker: My God… my God. If you want to talk about fighting for this country, look at your own social media posts. This is my time. Sir, this is committee time, not yours. You don’t tell me when my time is over. You can’t lecture me.
Booker then devolved into shouting “Point of order!” before accusing Patel of being “rude and disrespectful” to senators.
Booker: Mr. Chairman, I’ve watched him talk over us, and you’ve never once criticized him for it. We couldn’t even get our questions out. He has been rude and disrespectful to Senator after Senator. And when Senators weren’t giving him a chance to answer, I didn’t see you stop them either.
Grassley reminded everyone that Patel would be given time to respond uninterrupted. And when he did, Patel unleashed a blistering defense of his record:
Patel (FBI): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. If the FBI under my seven-month leadership were failing this administration and this country, then why do we have 23,000 violent felons arrested this year alone—double the number from the same period last year? Why have we seized 6,000 weapons? Why have we arrested 1,500 child predators, 300 human traffickers, and identified 4,700 children? Why have we seized 1,600 kilograms of fentanyl—enough to kill a third of the American public, a 25% increase from last year? Alongside that, we’ve seized 88,000 kilograms of cocaine and 7,100 kilograms of meth… Our counterintelligence arrests already exceed the total from last year: up 33% for China, 83% for Russia, and 60% in Iran-related cases.
In other words, Patel came armed with facts, while Booker offered theatrics.
More, including a video of the exchange
Delusions of Adequacy 