As our own Grateful Calvin pointed out on Tuesday, FBI Director Kash Patel got in a glorious burn on Sen. Chris Van Hollen, who didn't want to talk about the defense budget but about Patel's alleged (by The Atlantic) excessive drinking. Van Hollen hasn't taken it well, and as Doug Powers and I have written about, Van Hollen is still firing back at Patel. As I reported, Van Hollen went to the trouble of downloading a copy of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test: Self-Report Version, filling it out, and even signing it at the bottom before scanning it and posting it to X. Now he wants Patel to do the same, but Patel will probably fudge the numbers.
Patel also pulled the receipts with a $7,000 bar tab from Van Hollen's office. Van Hollen responded to that on Wednesday as well.
You got me, I catered a holiday reception for my staff with campaign — not taxpayer — dollars! Now let's see your receipts. #ReleaseTheTab https://t.co/7fLmCFLYwe
— Senator Chris Van Hollen (@ChrisVanHollen) May 12, 2026
Wow, your staff can really put away the booze.
As Doug reported, Van Hollen also posted that he did not have relations with those margaritas.
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick pops up a lot in my feed. He's a senior fellow at the Immigration Council, which means he pops up at every opportunity to advocate for illegal immigration. That's his job. As a side gig, he came to the defense of Van Hollen and reminded us all that the "margaritas" were placed on the table by Van Hollen "with no warning." Stupidly, he also further spread the video of Van Hollen getting owned by Patel.
As a reminder, the "margaritas" were placed on the table by a Bukele aide with no warning to Senator Van Hollen, just so El Salvador's photographer could take the picture. They were neither requested nor consumed. It was a classic propaganda tactic Director Patel is endorsing. https://t.co/dHTYYYju2S
— Aaron Reichlin-Melnick (@ReichlinMelnick) May 12, 2026
So El Salvador's president, Nayib Bukele, placed those "margaritas" on the table without warning Van Hollen, just so El Salvador's photographer could take the picture of Van Hollen sharing drinks with Maryland man Kilmar Abrego Garcia.
It’s not about the fucking margaritas. How the fuck do you people still not get this? He traveled across the world on taxpayers dime to meet with an illegal alien with an extensive rap sheet. Wake the fuck up.
— FrankTown (@FrankTown) May 13, 2026
Yet Van Hollen voluntarily met with a known gang banger and domestic abuser. That error was self-inflicted.
— Ryan Petty (@rpetty) May 13, 2026
As a reminder Senator Van Hollen travelled to El Salvador to meet with an illegal alien gangster who was involved with human trafficking in America 🤨 Democrats always put foreigners above Americans
— Albanach (@albanach68) May 13, 2026
You've already lost the argument. No one cares who placed the drink in front of a willing illegal criminal sycophant.
— GSmo1776🇺🇸❤️🤍💙🇺🇸✝️ (@GSmo1776) May 13, 2026
I always tell people who put margaritas in front of me with no warning to stop with that propaganda tactic.
— Golden State Shift (@SquintAuthority) May 12, 2026
Have you considered that the senator should NOT be meeting with that guy?
— mke394 (@mke394) May 13, 2026
Should not do photo ops with a criminal?
The senator is supposed to represent the people of Maryland who are US citizens.
Did they place him in the plane and at a table next to the gang leader, as well?
— Chief_Engineer (@ChiefEngineerCE) May 13, 2026
The bad optics were hardly the alcoholic drinks imo.
It was a stupid stunt that this idiot Senator did flying to El Salvador on our dime talking to a felon. Nobody even cares about the drinks.
— Jennifer Kindel (@jmkindel) May 13, 2026
The drinks are a distraction from him. He doesn't want people to realize why he was there in the first place.
— Fathercptn™ (@ustechgod) May 13, 2026
We realize why he was there in the first place. Democrats will fight so that not one illegal alien is deported, no matter their criminal history. The fact that Van Hollen and Reichlin-Melnick are still trying to recover from Tuesday's burn is a sure sign that Patel won this round.
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