With the advent of the Trump administration, it seems more often than not that Democrats get knocked on their heels at congressional hearings instead of those getting grilled in front of the panel. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Attorney General Todd Blanche, and others routinely turn the tables on bombastic loudmouths like Rep. Maxine Waters (CA-43), Rep. Dan Goldman (NY-10), or Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA).

FBI Director Kash Patel is no stranger to such contentious committee meetings and having to fight fire with fire, and on Tuesday, he let it all fly in his showdown with Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT) at a Senate Judiciary Committee oversight hearing. Welch might be wishing he’d sat this one out:

Welch had been insinuating that Patel, President Trump, and the FBI planned to interfere in the November elections. He asked Patel a question, but then, of course, as so often happens in these circus shows, immediately interrupted him:

“…why are you being such a panderer to President [Donald] Trump, who’s still claiming that he won the 2020 election, and who has said the only way Democrats can win in 2026 is if they cheat? Do you believe that?”

“What I believe in is the rule of law. What I will always believe –” Patel began.

“The rule of law is the president saying in advance it’s been rigged,” Welch interjected.

“Are you done with your campaign ad, by the way?” Patel shot back.

Patel then turned the exchange personal, telling Welch: “I want to know how your wealth increased 4,000% since you became a United States senator, that’s a magic act all Americans should be [aware of].”

Welch made a personal fortune as a personal injury lawyer and increased it substantially as an investor in stocks and mutual funds. Although a firm number is not available, he’s estimated to be worth as much as $13 million.

In 2021, he was involved in a stock trade disclosure incident:

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Peter Welch has been involved in insider trading incidents on more than one occasion. Specifically, he was caught a second time when his wife’s sale of ExxonMobil (NYSE: XON) stock resulted in a STOCK Act violation. He recently said that he and his wife will no longer trade individual stocks.

Bonus coverage: Earlier Tuesday, as our Teri Christoph reported, Patel had faced tough but respectful questions from Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) over some, um, shall we say, unusual hiring issues. 

But wait, there’s more! Here, Welch tries to get Patel to admit that he sicced the FBI on the leftist rag The Atlantic because they'd published a story alleging Patel was basically a drunk. Patel denied both accusations in a long back-and-forth that’s worth watching, but he summed up what Welch was really after here:

I am allowed to participate in my own defense, especially when there's a smear campaign. One which you are participating in and continuing the falsehoods and lies that have been directed at me...

You cannot stand the fact that President Trump and this FBI have made America more secure than it has ever been. You didn't do it in your 20 years in the Senate. No other administration has done it. We've done it.

Your time's up.

When Democrats get the microphone at many of these committee hearings, things rarely get accomplished. Instead, they just make statements for the camera and then consistently interrupt witnesses when they try to answer questions. Administration officials were quick to get wise to the act during Trump 2.0, and they’re often on the attack instead of cowering in a defensive posture.

Welch’s effort to get campaign ad footage did not go so well. Better luck next time, Senator — and maybe stay clear of Kash Patel.