On Wednesday's edition of CNN This Morning, host Audie Cornish assembled an all-Dem Group Chat and -- whaddaya know? -- the panelists unanimously panned FBI Director Kash Patel's performance at his Senate hearing on Tuesday.

The Group Chat consisted of:

• Garrett Graff--Cornish introduced him only as a "historian and journalist," conveniently forgetting to mention that he was the deputy press secretary on Howard Dean's 2004 presidential campaign.
• Charlie Dent -- Cornish introduced him as a former Republican congressman. "Former Republican" is right! Dent endorsed Biden for president in 2020, stated that he voted for Kamala Harris in 2024, and endorsed Democrat Josh Shapiro for governor of Pennsylvania in 2022.
• Antjuan Seawright -- There was no way for Cornish to get around describing him as a Democratic strategist. 

With that kind of lineup, it was utterly unsurprising that there was unanimous denunciation of Patel's performance at a Senate hearing yesterday. How dare he be combative with Democrats! 

Graff began the attack, arguing "it is unthinkable that you would have a member of an agency, leader of an agency like the FBI, speaking to members of Congress, speaking to senators like this. You know, he called Adam Schiff a fraud, a liar, a coward, and a buffoon. He called Cory Booker an embarrassment. I mean, this is just sort of the most un-statesman-like, un-leadership-like language that you could imagine."

And in an ugly aside, Graff accused Patel of "cosplaying the role of FBI Director." Imagine a white Republican senator saying that a black Democrat head of a government agency is "cosplaying" his role. That's not statesman-like. 

Dent echoed Graff's dismay over Patel, protesting "I have never seen a Senate-confirmed individual, you know, talk to members of Congress like that, with ad hominem attacks. It just doesn't happen." Dent insisted that members of Congress get to have all the advantages in a hearing, and you can't tell them their time has elapsed. "No, it's their time. And they can use it however they want. They can talk over you. They can give a speech."

Democrats are always granted the advantage on CNN. Cornish just set up the attacks, never questioning them. 

Finally, claiming that Patel was playing only to Trump and the MAGA world, Seawright insisted "The manufactured outrage and drama we saw in that hearing was much more about style than substance."

Manufactured outrage? Take a gander at the screencap of Booker featured at the top. How long did the distinguished Senator from the great State of New Jersey rehearse his look in a bathroom mirror before heading out to the meeting room?

It's amazing that CNN Democrats suggest it's outrageous for Patel to insult the Democrats, but it's not outrageous for the Democrats to insult Patel. “Mr. Patel, I think you’re not going to be around long. I think this might be your last full oversight hearing,” Booker said. 

Here's the transcript.

CNN This Morning
9/17/25
6:01 am EDT

AUDIE CORNISH: I want you to listen to this exchange with New Jersey Senator Cory Booker. 

KASH PATEL: If you want to work on bringing this country, it's my time, not yours. 

CORY BOOKER: My God, my God. If you want to talk about dividing this country --

PATEL: It is my time.

BOOKER: I follow you on your social media posts that tear this country apart. 

PATEL: It is my time.

BOOKER: You can try all you want to not take responsibility for what you have said. Sir, you're making a mockery of this committee. 

PATEL: It is my time to address your falsehoods You are an embarrassment to the [division?] in this country.

BOOKER: Sir, you don't tell me my time is over.  

CORNISH: Joining me now in the group chat, journalist and historian Garrett Graff, Charlie Dent, former Republican congressman from Pennsylvania, and Democratic strategist Antjuan Seawright. 

. . . 

What did you hear yesterday that struck you? 

GARRETT GRAFF: So, I think one of the things that just was truly shocking for anyone who has followed the FBI and the relationship between the Congress and the Bureau was just the vitriol. I mean, it is unthinkable that you would have a member of an agency, leader of an agency like the FBI, speaking to members of Congress, speaking to senators like this. 

You know, he called Adam Schiff a fraud, a liar, a coward, and a buffoon. He called Cory Booker an embarrassment. I mean, this is just sort of the most un-statesman-like, un-leadership-like language that you could imagine. 

CORNISH: But so, did it allow him to not have to answer their questions?

GRAFF: Yeah, but I don't think we were ever going to get real knowledge out of Kash Patel in a hearing like this. I mean, Kash Patel is cosplaying the role of FBI Director on a daily basis. 

CHARLIE DENT: I was going to say, too, having watched the previous clip, I have never seen a Senate-confirmed individual, you know, talk to members of Congress like that, with ad hominem attacks. It just doesn't happen. 

And, you know, basically they tell a senator or a House member, you know, hey, this is my time? No, it's their time. And they can use it however they want. They can talk over you. They can give a speech. And I was just really stunned. 

CORNISH: Do you think the House is going to put up with that now that they've seen what the senators dealt with? 

DENT: Well, I think they'll have to, I mean, unless they want to throw him out of the hearing. But I've never seen anything like it. In normal times, that person would probably not be in the job very long for making those kinds of attacks against sitting members of the Congress. 

CORNISH: Antjuan? 

ANTJUAN SEAWRIGHT: The manufactured outrage and drama we saw in that hearing was much more about style than substance. He came into that hearing, most people would agree, on political life support because of the Epstein files and because of the reckless way he's been handling the agency. And so his role was simply not to do anything but to try and impress MAGA world, Trump world.