By Callto Activism/x,Frank Yemi
Copyright inquisitr
A Senate oversight hearing turned combustible Tuesday as Sen. Cory Booker pressed FBI Director Kash Patel over claims that seasoned agents on terrorism and child exploitation task forces have been reassigned to immigration work, a shift Booker said made the country “less safe.” Patel erupted, the exchange spiraled into a shouting match, and Chairman Chuck Grassley’s gavel finally brought the room to heel.
Booker tore into Patel’s leadership record, arguing that the Bureau has pushed out veterans and diverted resources from core public safety missions. Democratic senators had previewed those concerns in a letter ahead of the hearing, citing reports of personnel cuts, reassignments from Joint Terrorism Task Forces, and hollowed-out cyber units. Patel flatly rejected the premise, insisting the FBI is hitting hard at violent offenders and threats.
🚨FIREWORKS: CORY BOOKER JUST DESTROYED KASH PATEL.
He’s done. It’s over.
This is a Must-watch. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/NvUqrFJMcf
— CALL TO ACTIVISM (@CalltoActivism) September 16, 2025
The temperature spiked when Booker told Patel he believed the director had made America weaker, and predicted Patel would not be “long for his job.” Patel snapped back that Booker’s attacks were “falsehoods,” and called the senator an “embarrassment,” as the two talked over each other across the dais. Grassley rapped his gavel while Patel insisted it was his time to respond, and Booker shot back that only New Jersey voters decide when his time is up.
Clips ricocheted across social media within minutes, showing Booker telling Patel he was not afraid of him, and Patel retorting that he was not going anywhere. The confrontation underscored months of tension around Patel’s tenure, which began with fierce partisan controversy and fresh scrutiny over missteps during the Charlie Kirk assassination probe.
Kash Patel has made our country less safe. He has put fealty to Trump over his sworn oath to the constitution. pic.twitter.com/orO0lxqG8L
— Sen. Cory Booker (@SenBooker) September 16, 2025
Booker’s line of questioning leaned on reports that agents and analysts had been reassigned away from national security and complex crime portfolios to help execute the administration’s immigration agenda. While he referenced multiple data points, Patel would not concede that the reallocation harmed public safety, and Republicans praised the director for sharpening immigration enforcement and drug interdiction efforts.
🚨MAJOR BREAKING: Kash Patel just blamed Pam Bondi for diverting over 1,000 FBI agents to work on 24-hour shifts to review over 100,000 pages to flag any records with Trump’s name in the Epstein files.
This hearing is disastrous for Trump and his DOJ. pic.twitter.com/H5e4FDmKbH
— CALL TO ACTIVISM (@CalltoActivism) September 16, 2025
The broader political climate added fuel. Attorney General Pam Bondi has been battered from both left and right for comments about targeting “hate speech” after Kirk’s killing, then later clarifying that only threats and incitement are prosecutable after backlash from both sides of the political aisle. Patel, fielding questions the same day about the Bureau’s posture, faced a committee split over whether the administration is protecting free speech or chilling it.
Many have shared Kirk’s stance on free speech in response to Bondi’s crackdown. The late conservative activist believed all speech should be protected based on the First Amendment.
By day’s end, Democrats framed the fireworks as proof that Patel is politicizing the FBI and starving critical units of expertise. Republicans argued Booker’s broadside was grandstanding, and pointed to arrests in violent cases as evidence that the Bureau is doing its job. As staffers stacked binders and senators filed out, one takeaway felt inescapable: the confrontation made Patel’s already rocky tenure even more precarious, and it gave Booker a viral moment that will echo long after the hearing room emptied.
