Senate Democrat: Patel 'was testifying really for an audience of one: President Trump'

Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) rebuffed comments FBI Director Kash Patel made Tuesday during a tense oversight hearing, calling Patel's testimony "a performance."

“It was a performance. He was testifying really for an audience of one: President Trump,” Coons said during a Tuesday appearance on CNN’s “AC360.”

“During his confirmation hearing months ago, I asked him who the FBI director works for. And he said, 'Not the Constitution, not the American people, but the White House.' And then he demonstrated that both in his oversight hearing today and in how he‘s conducted himself as the FBI director,” the senator told host Andreson Cooper.

Patel clashed with multiple Democrats during the questioning and ventured to call Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) a “political buffoon at best."

“He‘s been more interested in revenge and retribution, in pushing out or firing folks who had investigated President Trump or who were connected in some way to Jan. 6th investigations, and frankly, in supporting President Trump‘s budget request, which would cut $500 million out of the operating funds of the FBI,” Coons said.

He added, “So today was a heated, combative exchange between the FBI director and many of my colleagues."

Patel was also probed on his handling of the search for the suspect who shot and killed conservative activist Charlie Kirk last week and the bureau's role in investigating files related to the late disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. Despite an intense line of fire, Coons said he was unsure if the hearing “advanced the national security of the American people."

The Delaware senator joined echoes of other Democrats, including Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), in saying Patel may not last long in the Trump administration as blowback from the right and left over his handle on cases continues to sputter.

“I do think some of how the Charlie Kirk investigation was handled has also raised concerns. But frankly, it‘s hard to know who‘s going to last how long in the Trump Cabinet,” Coons said.

“He likes to set people against each other, and he takes a lot of input from outside of the world of career and professional leaders of law enforcement," the lawmaker continued

Coons later joked that that if Laura Loomer, conservative activist and key ally of Trump, "takes a disliking to Kash Patel, he may be gone the next week."