{"id":2601946,"date":"2026-05-12T21:50:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T01:50:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/patel-posts-photo-of-van-hollen-campaigns-7000-bar-tab\/"},"modified":"2026-05-12T21:52:58","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T01:52:58","slug":"patel-posts-photo-of-van-hollen-campaigns-7000-bar-tab","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/patel-posts-photo-of-van-hollen-campaigns-7000-bar-tab\/","title":{"rendered":"Patel posts photo of Van Hollen campaign&#8217;s $7,000 bar tab"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fpatel-posts-photo-of-van-hollen-campaigns-7000-bar-tab%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2601946&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>FBI Director kash Patel released an FEC filing indicating that Sen.Chris Van Hollen\u2019s (D-MD) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/conservatives-are-woefully-out-marketed-by-liberals-its-time-to-level-up\/\" title=\"Conservatives Are Woefully Out-Marketed By Liberals. It\u2019s Time to Level Up.\">campaign spent<\/a> more than $7,000 at a Washington, D.C. bar after a heated budget hearing. During the hearing, Van Hollen challenged Patel with allegations about potential misconduct and asked whether lying to Congress is a crime; Patel denied wrongdoing and later posted the FEC document photo while saying the spending was for a \u201c50-member staff party.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The exchange escalated as Van Hollen raised claims that Patel was often intoxicated and arduous for staff to reach, supported by clips from the hearing.Patel rejected the accusations as false and criticized Van Hollen in return, including referencing Van Hollen\u2019s trip to El Salvador tied to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrat-<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/why-this-average-american-is-voting-for-donald-trump\/\" title=\"Why This Average American Is Voting for Donald Trump\">senator<\/a>-raphael-warnock-under-investigation-for-voter-registration-misconduct-reports\/&#8221; title=&#8221;Democrat &#8230; Raphael Warnock Under Investigation For Voter Registration Misconduct: Reports&#8221;>case involving<\/a> an illegally removed immigrant. patel also discussed FBI performance and <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >defended internal leak-review processes<\/a> and the use of polygraphs as established bureau practices rather than political retaliation.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p>FBI Director <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/kash-patel\/\">Kash Patel <\/a>posted a Federal Election Commission form showing Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/chris-van-hollen\/\">Chris Van Hollen<\/a>\u2018s (D-MD) Senate campaign spent over $7,000 at a Washington, D.C., bar following a stormy budget hearing on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p>The Maryland Democrat was asking Patel whether he knew lying to Congress was a crime, to which the FBI director denied doing so and added, \u201cMaybe the next time you run up a $7,000 bar tab, we can talk about it.\u201d Van Hollen countered that public money wasn\u2019t used, contrary to what he said Patel had claimed.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4565447\/patel-fbi-targeting-no-journalists\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Patel vows FBI \u2018is targeting no journalists\u2019 as DOJ clamps down on classified leaks<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4564564\/5th-circuit-grills-doj-legality-of-house-covid-proxy-voting-policy\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Fifth Circuit grills DOJ on legality of House\u2019s pandemic-era proxy voting policy<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4564781\/doj-paypal-scrap-dei-30-million-settlement\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>DOJ forces PayPal to scrap DEI business initiative in $30 million settlement<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>Patel later <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/FBIDirectorKash\/status\/2054294261986660537\">posted<\/a> a photo of the FEC file, which showed Van Hollen\u2019s Senate campaign spent over $7,128 at the Lobby Bar in Washington, D.C. Van Hollen said during the hearing Tuesday that it was for a \u201c50-member staff party.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Van Hollen had pressed Patel during the hearing over allegations involving excessive drinking and claims that FBI personnel had difficulty reaching him.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ChrisVanHollen?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@ChrisVanHollen<\/a> (D-MD) to Kash Patel: &#8220;We cannot look away from the credible, extremely troubling reports about your misconduct\u2026Reports of your being so drunk and hungover that your staff had to force entry into your home are extremely alarming.&#8221; <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/9YXUNKqrwp\">pic.twitter.com\/9YXUNKqrwp<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 CSPAN (@cspan) <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/cspan\/status\/2054269151607152650?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 12, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>    <\/p>\n<p>Patel called those accusations \u201cunequivocally, categorically false.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At one point, Patel accused Van Hollen of \u201cslinging margaritas in El Salvador on the taxpayer dime,\u201d triggering a heated exchange between the two men. Patel was referring to Van Hollen\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/immigration\/3780287\/van-hollen-meets-abrego-garcia-after-release-from-custody\/\">visit<\/a> to the country to see <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3899024\/six-year-old-immigration-court-error-haunts-kilmar-abrego-garcia-case\/\">Kilmar Abrego Garcia<\/a>, an illegal immigrant who was briefly deported to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/el-salvador\/\">El Salvador<\/a> before he was returned and charged with human smuggling last year.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Today, I spoke with Kilmar Abrego Garcia and his wife, Jennifer. In April, when I met with him in El Salvador, Trump said he would never set foot in the U.S. again.<\/p>\n<p>This case has never been about one man alone; if the govt can violate the constitutional rights of one, all our\u2026 <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/YRSB1AHNMo\">pic.twitter.com\/YRSB1AHNMo<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Senator Chris Van Hollen (@ChrisVanHollen) <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ChrisVanHollen\/status\/1999962407389544547?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 13, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>    <\/p>\n<p>The FBI director also sparred with Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), who told Patel to \u201cstick to podcasting\u201d after video emerged of Patel chugging beer in the locker room of the USA men\u2019s hockey team following their Olympic win over Canada. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cLeave law and order to people who really do care about justice and appearances,\u201d the senator said.<\/p>\n<p>Patel responded with what he described as a historic 20-point decline in the national murder rate, along with 44,000 violent offender arrests and major increases in child exploitation and counterintelligence cases under his tenure. \u201cThe mission has never been more successful,\u201d Patel said.<\/p>\n<p>Patel also defended the FBI\u2019s use of internal leak reviews and polygraphs more broadly, describing them as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/patel-vows-fbi-is-targeting-no-journalists-as-doj-clamps-down-on-classified-leaks\/\" title=\"... vows FBI &#039;is targeting no journalists&#039; as ... down on classified leaks\">long-standing bureau procedures<\/a> rather than politically motivated retaliation.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4564207\/watch-live-kash-patel-testifies-fbi-budget-request\/\">WATCH LIVE: KASH PATEL TESTIFIES ON FBI BUDGET REQUEST<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo one at this FBI is allowed to politicize or weaponize law enforcement,\u201d Patel said. \u201cIf you do, you don\u2019t get to work there anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The bureau is <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/jmd\/media\/1434246\/dl?inline\">requesting<\/a> more than $12.5 billion in appropriated funds, amounting to an 18% increase from fiscal 2026.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kash Patel posted an FEC form showing Van Hollen\u2019s campaign spent $7,000 at a D.C. bar after a stormy hearing<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4282,"featured_media":2601947,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-collage-cz2thfvx9-1778626737945.jpg?1778613241&amp;w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[79573,33926,51054,51466],"class_list":["post-2601946","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-bar-tab","tag-campaign-finance","tag-patel-2","tag-van-hollen"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-collage-cz2thfvx9-1778626737945.jpg?1778613241&amp;w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2601946","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4282"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2601946"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2601946\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2601950,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2601946\/revisions\/2601950"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2601947"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2601946"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2601946"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2601946"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}