The political tension between Democrats and Republicans in Washington added a new episode after Senator Chris Van Hollen published the results He will give a test to detect disorders related to alcohol use and will publicly challenge FBI Director Kash Patel to do the same.

The dispute arose after a hearing in the Senate where Van Hollen questioned Patel about reports published by The Atlantic that point out alleged alcoholism problems and difficulties in locating him during workdays.

During the appearance, Patel categorically denied the allegations and called the report as “completely false”. However, he was surprised by agreeing to undergo the AUDIT, test, used to identify possible alcohol use disorders.

“Come on, elbow to elbow,” Patel responded during the exchange.

Horas después, Van Hollen publicó en redes sociales los resultados de su evaluación y lanzó un nuevo desafío al director del FBI.

“Here is mine. Now let’s see yours,” the Democratic senator wrote.

A confrontation that went from the Senate to social networks

The confrontation quickly escalated outside the Capitol and moved to digital platforms. Patel accused the legislator of spending $7,000 on alcoholic beverages during a political event, disseminating financial documents related to campaign spending.

Van Hollen responded that the money corresponded to a Christmas party for his team and not public resources.

“You caught me! I organized a Christmas reception for my staff with campaign money,” the senator said ironically.

The case became a political trend due to the growing debate over the conduct and performance of the FBI director, who has been under pressure since assuming the post during Donald Trump's administration.

Democrats demand more oversight

The controversy began after democratic legislators formally requested Patel to answer the 10 question AUDIT test, designed to evaluate alcohol consumption patterns and possible personal or work-related effects.

Van Hollen argued during the hearing that the allegations cannot be ignored due to the public responsibility of the FBI director.

“When your private actions prevent you from fulfilling your public duties, we have a big problem,” the senator declared.

The FBI did not immediate comment on the publication of the results or on whether Patel will make his evaluation public.