Washington DC - On Tuesday, the Senate judiciary committee held a hearing to probe FBI Director Kash Patel on criticisms he has been receiving regarding his leadership and the department's handling of the assassination of Charlie Kirk.

Patel gave an opening statement at the hearing, proudly stating that "at his direction," his agency was able to track down Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old who allegedly shot and killed Kirk during an event in Utah last week.

He concluded by issuing a warning to any opposition from the committee: "If you want to criticize my 16 years of service, please bring it on."

Republican members of the committee mostly praised Patel for his commitment to "make America safe again," and asked questions regarding the FBI's investigation into Robinson.

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Patel claimed that a chat on Discord in which Robinson confessed to his crime was "leaked," and the department is looking into "anyone and everyone" involved in that group, which he says is made up of "a lot more" than 20 people.

Many GOP members also asked about unfounded claims that Robinson was driven by leftist ideology and that leftist groups are funding political violence across the country.

Missouri Senator Eric Schmitt ran through a lengthy list of recent acts of political violence that he claimed were committed by the left, and alleged that "the George Soros empire has financed a vast ecosystem of radicals, all working together."

Patel repeatedly told members that investigations into Robinson's motives are ongoing, but vowed that his agency would "follow the money" to uncover leftist groups supposedly funding violence.

Democratic members pressed Patel about the thousands of FBI employees who have been fired since President Donald Trump was re-elected, the alleged loyalty tests he forced new employees to take, and some arguable failures he and his agency had during the Kirk shooting investigation.

When grilled on how he falsely announced on social media that a suspect had been arrested in the investigation, Patel insisted he was trying to be "transparent" with the American people.

"Could I have been more careful in my verbiage? Sure," Patel argued. "But I was doing [my] best. I don't see it as a mistake."

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Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin pushed back on Patel, arguing that the director "was so anxious to take credit, he violated one of the basics of effective law enforcement – Shut up and let the professionals do their job."

Things got heated as New Jersey Sen. Corey Booker grilled Patel on major changes he has made at the FBI, which has included ordering specialized departments to put focus and resources into Trump's aggressive immigration agenda.

To conclude his time, Booker gave a speech criticizing Patel for making a "mockery" of the Senate and making America "weaker and less safe" with his failed leadership. Patel responded by accusing him of having no interest in bringing the two parties together.

When asked earlier in the day about Patel's response to the shooting, Trump claimed the director "did it in two days," further arguing that "similar cases" have taken longer to resolve.