Social media erupts after ‘terrified’ Dem senator lashes out at Kash Patel ahead of confirmation vote

A fierce attack on FBI director nominee Kash Patel by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-RI, drew mockery from conservatives on social media ahead of an expected vote on Patel’s nomination Thursday afternoon.

“Kash Patel, mark my words, will cause evil in this building behind us, and Republicans who vote for him will rue that day,” Whitehouse, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said on Thursday morning outside the FBI headquarters.

He spoke hours before the final vote on Patel’s nomination.

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Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) speaks during a press conference following a luncheon with Senate Democrats in the U.S. Capitol Building on May 2, 2023 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Whitehouse mentioned Patel’s invocation of the Fifth Amendment before a grand jury examining whether President Donald Trump mishandled national security secrets.

“You are so cringe,” the Trump War Room said.

“They are terrified,” White House rapid response director Greg Price said.

“Did Sheldon Whitehouse come up with this pathetic line of attack at his all-white beach club?” asked conservative commentator and longtime Trump adviser Steve Cortes, referencing Whitehouse’s membership in an exclusive beach club that has a controversial history. Whitehouse’s office previously denied that the club was all-White.

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Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s choice to be director of the FBI, appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee for his confirmation hearing at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

“Democrat Sen. Whitehouse seems awfully scared of Kash Patel cleaning up the FBI…,” conservative commentator Benny Johnson said.

“Senator, the evil is already inside the building,” Republican digital operative Alec Sears said.

Whitehouse’s comments were one of a number of comments made about Patel by Democrats on the committee.

“There’s no question here he is unqualified and unprepared,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said. “The only question is whether my Republican colleagues will do the right thing.”

He warned that a vote in favor of Patel’s nomination “will haunt you.”

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“You will rue the day of this vote if it’s in favor of Kash Patel, because the American people will hold you accountable, and we will make sure that the American people know about this vote,” he concluded. 

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According to a senior transition team official for Patel, the nominee had departed the capital the night of his hearing, flying home to Las Vegas, where he had “been sitting there waiting for the process to play out.”

In addition to his trip home to Vegas, Patel has also spent time hunting away from Washington, the official said, providing photographic evidence of Patel’s activities. 

Fox News’ Breanne Deppisch and Julia Johnson contributed to this report.