Lieu on Trump Cabinet shakeups: ‘Kash Patel is next’

Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) said FBI Director Kash Patel is “next” following the recent departures from President Trump’s cabinet. 

“The reality is that this cabinet’s out of control incompetence and corruption have made it the worst cabinet since 1776, and Kash Patel is next,” Lieu said during a Tuesday morning press briefing on Capitol Hill. 

Lieu referenced a recent article from The Atlantic, which reported that the FBI director was sometimes unreachable after nights of heavy drinking and was concerned about losing his job.

Patel filed a lawsuit against the outlet on Monday, seeking $250 million in damages. In an interview with Fox News on Sunday, he vowed to “fight back against the fake news.”

The California lawmaker said that the article shows “Kash Patel appears to be a raging alcoholic.”

“He should not be FBI director,” Lieu said. “He should go seek help and treatment.”

Lieu’s comments follow the resignation of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer on Monday. The secretary’s exit was preceded by Trump’s firings of the leaders of the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security, Pam Bondi and Kristi Noem, respectively.

Chavez-DeRemer has faced accusations of misconduct during her time leading the Labor Department. The department’s inspector general’s office is wrapping up an investigation into allegations that she had an affair with a member of her security detail and funded personal trips with taxpayer dollars. 

Additionally, the secretary’s husband, Shawn DeRemer, has been banned from the Labor Department’s headquarters after two staffers accused him of inappropriate touching and sexual assault. 

Chavez-DeRemer has pushed back on the allegations against herself and her husband. In an X post following the news of her exit, she said she was “honored to have served under the post pro-worker president in US history.”