Kash Patel denies drinking claims

FBI Director Kash Patel engaged in a heated confrontation with Democratic lawmakers during a Senate budget hearing on Tuesday.

Patel strongly denied allegations of excessive drinking and unexplained absences, calling the reports a "total farce." Senator Chris Van Hollen challenged Patel to take an alcohol use disorder test, a challenge the director initially accepted before the exchange turned into a shouting match.

Meanwhile, internal FBI sources have accused Patel of 'padding the stats' to artificially inflate the bureau's arrest records.