FBI Director Kash Patel has been mocked online after cameras captured him scribbling embarrassing pep-talk notes to himself.
The notes were made during a heated congressional hearing over political violence and Jeffrey Epstein’s case files.
The notes, written in blue pen in Patel’s own handwriting on personalized stationery labeled ‘Director Patel’, read like affirmations.
‘Good fight with Swalwell. Hold the line. Brush off their attacks. Rise above next line of partisan attacks.’
The reaction online was brutal. ‘Lmfao he’s writing words of affirmation to himself,’ one user posted on X.
‘This reads like the pep talk I give myself before every holiday with my family,’ wrote another.
‘What an absolute loser having to write himself motivational notes because no one loves him,’ read a third.
‘Lmao this is so sad. It’s like he’s hyping himself up in the mirror before the hearing,’ added a fourth.
FBI Director Kash Patel, already facing criticism for his handling of the Charlie Kirk assassination case, became a target of ridicule online after he was filmed jotting down awkward motivational notes to himself.
‘Good fight with Swalwell. Hold the line. Brush off their attacks. Rise above next line of partisan attacks,’ the handwritten note appears to state
The ridicule spread swiftly as observers focused not only on the awkwardness of the act but also on the self-indulgence of using a notepad adorned with his personal letterhead.
These handwritten notes were made public during a session of the House Judiciary Committee where Patel was in frequent contention with Democrats, particularly California Rep. Eric Swalwell, about the management of the Epstein documents.
Swalwell probed Patel about the Justice Department’s hesitance to make public specific grand jury materials related to the case of the deceased financier, inquiring if any documents made reference to President Donald Trump, who had past social ties with Epstein.
Patel balked at the question.
‘Your fixation on this matter and baseless accusations that I’m hiding child pedophiles is disgusting,’ Patel snapped.
The exchange quickly spiraled into a shouting match as Swalwell mockingly began enunciating his syllables.
‘Why don’t you try spelling it out if you’re going to mock me. Use the alphabet… No? A B C, D E F.’
The Democrat fired back again, calling Patel’s evasiveness a ‘consciousness of guilt’ and accusing him of playing a ‘cute shell game.’
Swalwell, during his questioning, inquired into the Department of Justice’s reticence to release certain grand jury documents associated with the financier’s case, specifically asking if Donald Trump was mentioned in any of them.
Patel seemed to be feeling the pressure and later tweeted about how authorities managed to apprehend the supposed shooter within 33 hours of the event, highlighting that his ‘bold strategy’ received accolades.
Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, was taken into custody after his own father turned him in rather than any FBI manhunt
‘The court calls bulls***,’ Swalwell said, in reference to DOJ excuses about sealed material.
‘I’m going to borrow your terminology and call bulls*** on your entire career in Congress. It has been a disgrace to the American people,’ Patel retorted.
Patel, who once served as a GOP staffer on the Intelligence Committee, had previously named Swalwell in his book Government Gangsters.
In it, he accused him of being a ‘corrupt actor’ and labeling dozens of other political opponents as members of the so-called deep state.
The prickly encounter came just days after Patel’s judgment and leadership were already under scrutiny for what critics have called a chaotic, ego-driven response to the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
While the FBI and local law enforcement scrambled to identify and track down the suspect, Patel dined at Rao’s, a notoriously exclusive restaurant in New York, the same night the investigation was unfolding.
He later posted conflicting updates on social media, including a message claiming the suspect was in custody, followed just 90 minutes later by another saying the same individual had been released.
Patel was also allegedly dining at Rao’s in New York City just hours after the shooting
Patel is facing a hail of criticism for his handling of the investigation
‘He’s got zero leadership experience and capabilities,’ said Christopher O’Leary, a former FBI counterterrorism official to NBC News.
Even senior members of the Trump administration reportedly urged Patel to stay silent and out of the spotlight while agents worked the case.
Still, Patel flew to Utah, stood behind the podium at a news conference – and said nothing.
‘No serious director would show up at this stage,’ a former senior FBI official told the outlet.
‘They can’t help. They can only distract. Every agent needed to support the visit is an agent not available to work the case.’
After Robinson’s arrest, Patel tried to take credit claiming on X the FBI demanded security footage be released over the objections of local police, and that the suspect’s father turned him in as a result.
But the Utah Department of Public Safety contradicted him, saying it had already attempted to identify the suspect using facial recognition before jointly deciding to release the video.
Patel also reportedly blasted agents in Salt Lake City on a profanity-laced conference call, accusing them of failing to move fast enough and warning that the pressure from Trump and the public was immense.
