Blew it and blew him...

Democratic senator says Patel “blew it” in Kirk shooting investigation

From CNN's Arlette Saenz and Morgan Rimmer

Sen. Peter Welch, a Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, told reporters he believes FBI Director Kash Patel “blew it” with his handling of the investigation into the shooting death of Charlie Kirk.

“He blew it, and he was about promoting himself, rather than cooperating with local law enforcement that I think did a really good job,” said Welch.

“He’s not up to the job. He’s putting himself first, and the fact is that there should be coordination and cooperation. And what you saw, it was kind of an overreach on the part of him, on a personal basis,” the senator added.

The Vermont Democrat also criticized Patel for “essentially purge a lot of folks who did a really good job for political reasons,” saying that it’s “really detrimental to the well-being of the FBI.”

Welch called the shooting of Kirk, and the general rise in political violence “heartbreaking,” and said that ensuring there is security for political figures is only part of the solution.

“There’s an erosion of public discourse here. This is not just about people in political life or members of Congress. It’s about all of us as citizens, and that insecurity that is rampant in America is going to take much more than just having security,” he told reporters.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal also expressed concern about his handling of the FBI and said he wants a commitment from Patel that the agency won’t be used for a “political crackdown to silence dissent.”

“I want him to acknowledge that he is engaged in a campaign of vengeance and retribution in the firing of these employees and the disbanding of domestic terrorism,” the Connecticut Democrat said.