A legal expert was in awe Tuesday, watching FBI Director Kash Patel's hearing devolve into what she called a "Jerry Springer" episode.
Patel was testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee in a scheduled oversight hearing focused on his leadership. A central theme of his testimony was his handling of the FBI's investigation into last week's slaying of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The hearing featured numerous contentious moments, with shouting erupting between Patel and Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA). Patel faced fierce scrutiny and criticism over his public statements and handling of the Kirk manhunt, including social media post in which he said a suspect was in custody that turned out to be incorrect.
Kristy Greenberg, a former federal prosecutor who served in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, joined MSNBC's "Deadline: White House" on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the hearing. Host Nicolle Wallace remarked that Patel appeared to run into trouble with Trump ally Republican Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) at one point.
"This whole thing was such a disgrace. I mean, he was treating a Senate hearing like he was on Jerry Springer and talking about something as important as this sex trafficking case, this network, where, again, his own Department of Justice has said this was the most infamous pedophile in American history," she said.
Greenberg blasted Patel's claimed ignorance on why Ghislaine Maxwell, a convicted sex trafficker, was moved to a low-security facility.
"The idea that he wasn't in the weeds of the movements of inmates, so he wouldn't know why Maxwell was moved to a different prison. If you believe that — which I don't — but if you do believe that, then you're not doing your job. You should know why she was moved. She is a convicted sex trafficker," said Greenberg.
She also hammered Patel over his claim there was limited — and no credible — information in the FBI's case files indicating that Epstein trafficked young women to anyone besides himself.
"There were over 300,000 GB of information! There's a voluminous trove of information. And then he said, 'Well, it's not credible information," she said.
Greenberg demanded that Patel "stand behind" his assertion now rather than try to "hide behind" the Biden administration's findings in the case.
"Put on your big boy pants. Stand behind your own determinations and explain why," she said, later adding, "Explain yourself."