WASHINGTON — FBI Director Kash Patel sidestepped questions about FBI agents at polling places in the midterm elections at a U.S. Senate hearing Tuesday that also featured a tense exchange between GOP Chairman Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Democratic Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey.
With the November midterm elections fast approaching and the parties jockeying for control of Congress, several Democratic senators wanted assurance from Patel, under oath, that the FBI would not send agents into polling places.
“Do you pledge that you will not, in any way, interfere in the will of the American people when they go to the polls in November?” Sen. Peter Welch, a Vermont Democrat, asked.
“I pledge unequivocally that I will not participate in your charade of lies,” Patel told Welch.
Patel in addition faced questions during the five-hour hearing from members of the Judiciary Committee about recent changes to the agency’s hiring requirements, an ongoing probe into 2020 election ballots seized in Georgia, and how the FBI plans to handle crimes committed by AI agents.
‘We have a lackey here’
A boiling point came when Booker spoke beyond his allotted time and name-called Patel a “thug” who “wouldn’t qualify” to be an FBI special agent.
Booker accused Patel of not answering questions about whether the agency was improperly targeting journalists. The FBI subpoenaed multiple New York Times reporters in July after the outlet published accounts of security deficiencies on President Donald Trump’s new Qatari-donated jet now used as Air Force One. The DOJ dropped the subpoenas later that month after a federal judge pressured the agency.
“My concluding remark is we don’t have an FBI director. We have a lackey here who is using government, and frankly, he’s not even a good lackey. He’s an incompetent lackey. He’s like an 18-year-old kid who wants to join a fraternity that he could never be a member of, doing keg stands and chugging with friends,” Booker said, before continuing the exchange for roughly four minutes more.
“Are you ready to shut up?” Grassley, of Iowa, asked Booker with a raised voice.
Patel brushed off Grassley’s offer during the exchange to respond to Booker.
Democratic candidate for Iowa attorney general Nate Willems said Wednesday that “bullying does not work” on him and he won’t be pulling ads targeting current Attorney General Brenna Bird in relation to an Iowa pollution case.
Willems’ campaign has been threatened with a lawsuit from biofuel producer POET, after the campaign released an ad criticizing Bird for not pursuing further damages after it was discovered in 2024 that the plant had been releasing excessive amounts of pollutants that can cause cancer and other health issues.
The newly hired Bettendorf superintendent continues to operate his side consulting business, while the district refuses to say if school board president Paul Castro has authorized the activity.
John Elkin was hired as interim superintendent by the Bettendorf school board last month at a salary of more than $218,000, after the board paid the outgoing superintendent $720,000 to resign.
Even as deputy to the director of the Iowa State School Board, Elkin operated his consulting firm, Premier ED Leader Resources LLC , which provides internal investigative training to school districts in Iowa and other neighboring states. The firm charges school districts $300 per person to attend its training seminars.
In recent weeks, people from Cherokee, Des Moines and Ottumwa have contacted the Iowa Freedom of Information Council with concerns about the refusal of local officials to share documents distributed to city council and school board members before they meet.
Typically, Iowa government boards and councils send their members document packets before each meeting so they have important background facts to help them make informed decisions. The materials often include staff reports on agenda topics, financial statements and analyses, proposed contracts, correspondence and recommended agreements.
The board packets promote informed governance. Members have time to read and digest relevant materials, study the facts, and prepare any questions in the days leading up to the public meeting.
Summit Carbon Solutions is abandoning two-thirds of its planned project to store carbon dioxide underground in North Dakota.
The company, which had been granted permits to store CO2 in three designated areas in central North Dakota, has requested permits for two of the areas to be canceled.
“Summit #1 and Summit #2 have determined as a matter of business judgment that they will not proceed with development, construction, operation, or implementation of either proposed storage facility,” Summit said in a filing with the North Dakota Supreme Court.
Iowa gubernatorial candidate Zach Lahn eagerly champions the unconventional, hands-on private school he helped launch in Kansas as the best model for reinventing schools.
But Lahn’s campaign narrative about delivering cutting-edge academic leadership at the school called Wonder doesn’t mention its precarious finances. Public records tell a broader story.
The Democratic candidate for Iowa secretary of agriculture told Iowa State Fair attendees Saturday that “the outrage has finally arrived” for the state of Iowa’s water, and said systemic change rather than incremental fixes is the way to clear up waterways and improve other areas of Iowans’ lives.
Chris Jones criticized “Band-Aid approaches” to fixing Iowa’s environment and rural economy during his Des Moines Register Political Soapbox speech, including President Donald Trump’s decision to import more ground beef and infusions of money by the state into initiatives that haven’t fixed things.
The empty chairs represent the 'no show' Scott County Republicans at last Saturday's public forum sponsored by the Metrocom Branch of the NAACP and the League of United Latin American Citizens.
A judge has ordered the federal government to immediately release an immigrant held in an Iowa jail, saying it’s “hard to take seriously” the U.S. Department of Justice’s arguments in the case.
It’s one of an increasing number of cases in which federal judges have expressed skepticism or outright disbelief in some of the claims made by U.S. Department of Justice lawyers, particularly in immigration cases.
Lee Enterprises, Inc. Thursday (8/6) reported net income of $5.2 million for the third quarter ended June 28, but overall revenues at the Davenport-based media company continue to fall, off 11 percent compared to the same period a year ago.
The company's print advertising and subscription revenue have been declining steadily for years, and management has touted the success of its "digital-first strategy" to move away from print advertising and print subscriptions to a digital ad and subscription revenue model.
WASHINGTON — FBI Director Kash Patel sidestepped questions about FBI agents at polling places in the midterm elections at a U.S. Senate hearing Tuesday that also featured a tense... more
Democratic candidate for Iowa attorney general Nate Willems said Wednesday that “bullying does not work” on him and he won’t be pulling ads targeting current Attorney General Brenna... more
The newly hired Bettendorf superintendent continues to operate his side consulting business, while the district refuses to say if school board president Paul Castro has authorized the activity.
John Elkin was hired as interim superintendent by the Bettendorf school board last month at a... more
To help distinguish legitimate news from the tsunami of disinformation and propaganda from Russian bots, partisan zealots and talking heads at disreputable media companies, here are useful questions to ask yourself courtesy the International Federation of Library Associations:
Consider the source. Click away from the story to investigate the site, its mission and its contact information.
Check the author. Do a quick search on the author. Are they credible? Are they even real?
Check the date. Re-posting old news stories doesn't mean they're relevant to current events.
Read beyond. Headlines can be outrageous in an effort to get clicks. What's the whole story?
Supporting sources. Click on those links. Determine if the information given actually supports the story.
Is it a joke? If it is too outlandish, it might be satire. Research the site and author to be sure.
Ask the experts. Ask a librarian, or consult a fact-checking site.
Typically, Iowa government boards and councils send their members document packets before each meeting so they have important background facts to help them make informed decisions. The materials often include staff reports on agenda topics, financial statements and analyses, proposed contracts, correspondence and recommended agreements.
