FBI Director Kash Patel refused to say whether agents would be present at the polls during the midterm elections in a contentious Senate Judiciary Committee oversight hearing Tuesday.

The comments came as members from both parties questioned Patel over issues ranging from elections to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and a bizarre exchange over bestiality in FBI hiring. 

During the hearing, Patel repeatedly clashed with Democrats on the panel over whether the FBI would deploy agents to polling places on Election Day or otherwise interfere in the midterm elections. 

Multiple times Patel said he would not commit to keeping agents away from the polls, despite a federal law that prohibits armed federal agents at election sites.

Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., said the risk of election interference is “existential” to the country.

“This is about whether the United States citizens — Republicans, Democrats, independents — are the deciders of elections,” Welch said.

“Do you pledge that you will not in any way interfere in the will of American people when they go to the polls in November?” Welch asked.

“I pledge unequivocally that I will not participate in your charade of lies,” Patel responded.

Patel, in response to questions from Welch and other Democrats, said that the FBI has agents in each of its field offices devoted to addressing election crimes.

“We will always follow the law and the guidelines,” Patel said.

The questions came as President Donald Trump has repeated baseless claims of fraud in his loss in the 2020 election and asserted that Democrats cannot win elections without cheating. Trump has also sought a greater federal role in elections, efforts that have been repeatedly rebuffed by the courts.

Throughout the hearing, Patel repeatedly interrupted Democrats on the panel, accused them of lying about him and said that questions about the use of FBI resources endangered the safety of himself and his girlfriend.

Patel has led the agency since his confirmation in February 2025, and presided over numerous high-profile efforts, including firing agents involved in investigations into Trump, handling files related to deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and more. 

Patel defended his tenure at the agency, citing drops in violent crime as well as increased arrests in violent crime and gang cases over the last two years.

“We will not stop working to protect the American people,” Patel said.

Separately, Patel defended changes to the FBI’s hiring standards which removed automatic disqualification for applicants who stole from an employer, engaged in prostitution or bestiality. Patel said it was part of broader changes to FBI hiring intended to reduce bureaucratic overhead.

In response to questions from members of both parties, Patel said he intended the changes to keep people from being disqualified as victims of those crimes.

“What we did was we did not want to punish victims of bestiality,” Patel said.

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., questioned why the agency would change the standards.

“We’re having a tough time attracting agents, good quality agents we all can trust … why would you even get into bestiality?” Kennedy said.

Patel last came before the Senate in May, when he faced the Senate Appropriations Committee and pushed back on questions about alleged absences and excessive drinking on the job.

Patel has also faced some bipartisan scrutiny over his use of agency funds, as Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, reportedly privately asked Patel in May to provide more information about his personal travel with an FBI plane and purchase of BMW vehicles for the agency fleet.