'Look in the mirror': GOP senator gives his party a scolding amid Charlie Kirk outcry

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) gave his party a scolding, demanding Republicans "look in the mirror" while grilling FBI Director Kash Patel at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday.

"Within 24 hours of Mr. Kirk's shooting we had the guy that does the podcast for the War Room and another guy who's denied the Sandy Hook shootings say 'we're at war," Tillis said. "How on earth are we deescalating the situation? And with the tensions as high as they were last week, with going out and saying 'we're at war' — I'm not asking you to respond to this question I'm just saying that there are people out here on our side of the aisle that still need to look in the mirror."

Tillis argued that this elevated response from Republicans decrying "war" would be a challenge for the country — and Patel's role as leader of the FBI.

"That kind of rhetoric and that kind of mobilization makes your job more difficult and puts us in a position where we're not being as productive as you want the FBI and state and local law enforcement to be," Tillis said.

Patel faces a wave of criticism within the Republican party and pressure over his response to the Kirk assassination last week.

In an explosive hearing on Tuesday, Patel was probed by both Democratic and Republican senators over his handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case and allegations that key agents working on important task forces involving terrorism and even child trafficking have been diverted to work on immigration matters.

On his way to the UK for a state visit on Tuesday, President Donald Trump told members of the press that he maintained that he is still confident in Patel's leadership.

Patel vowed in front of the senators that he would urge President Donald Trump to rein in his divisive rhetoric after recent incidents of political violence.