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Schiff: Patel’s FBI leadership replaced expertise with ‘rabid partisanship’

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Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., sharply criticized Kash Patel’s tenure as FBI director Wednesday, telling reporters that he viewed Patel’s leadership as deeply partisan and a «terrible tragedy» for the nation’s sprawling law enforcement agency. 

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Speaking at a news conference alongside former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and other House Democrats, Schiff took umbrage at Patel’s testimony one day earlier before the Senate Judiciary Committee, which Schiff said further crystallized his concerns about politicization within the bureau.

The FBI «has been the premier law enforcement agency in the country, and the world, because they’ve been constantly professional and non-partisan,» Schiff said Wednesday, noting the close working relationship he had with FBI agents during the years he spent as a federal prosecutor. 

FBI AGENTS GROUP TELLS CONGRESS TO TAKE URGENT ACTION TO PROTECT AGAINST POLITICIZATION

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Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., speaks to reporters outside the U.S. Capitol Sept. 17, 2025. (Breanne Deppisch/Fox News Digital)

«It is a terrible tragedy, I think, for the men and women of the bureau to have such poor leadership that is replacing expertise with incompetence, that is replacing non-partisanship with the most rabid partisanship,» Schiff told Fox News Digital. «And this is not unrelated to why we’re here today.»

His remarks come as Patel appeared on Capitol Hill Wednesday for a second day of testimony before the Senate and House Judiciary committees.

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FBI AGENTS DETAIL J6 ROLE IN EXHAUSTIVE QUESTIONNAIRE EMPLOYEES ‘WERE INSTRUCTED TO FILL OUT’

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Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., speaks to reporters at a news conference outside the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 17, 2025. (Breanne Deppisch/Fox News Digital)

Both hearings were marked by sharp lines of questioning from Democrats, who grilled Patel on issues ranging from a flurry of FBI firings, the bureau’s handling of the Epstein files and concerns of politicization, among many other topics.

Schiff, in particular, pressed Patel on his tenure at the FBI, saying the bureau’s agents — mostly assigned to its 52 field offices across the country and loath to see their work politicized — wanted to know what, if any, marching orders Patel had received from President Donald Trump.

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The heated back-and-forth devolved into a shouting match between the two as Schiff pressed Patel repeatedly on the firings of FBI agents and whether those individuals were removed for political reasons.

Patel, for his part, described Schiff as a «political buffoon.» 

Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Schiff said Patel’s appearance did little to assuage his broader fears of weaponization within the bureau.

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«You can’t have a vibrant democracy without the rule of law,» he told Fox News Digital. «You can’t have the rule of law if you have a weaponized FBI and a weaponized Justice Department, and, sadly, that’s what we have here today,» Schiff said.

FBI Agents

FBI agents walk through a crime scene. (Getty Images)

He also weighed in on Patel’s remarks yesterday on the Epstein files, another issue that sparked intense criticism from lawmakers, after Patel claimed Tuesday that there was «no credible evidence» that Jeffrey Epstein was trafficking women other than for himself. 

Schiff said it was a «startling claim,» particularly from someone who had previously promoted the belief that Epstein maintained a vast client list of powerful people.

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«So, it was completely contradictory to everything he said in the past,» he said. He also noted Patel’s «refusal» to answer his questions on why Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche declined to press Ghislaine Maxwell further on the Cabinet members she identified as being «close» to Epstein or having a relationship with him during a two-day interview in July.

«Blanche refused to ask who they were and just ignored her comment,» Schiff added. 

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«And this is, again, the kind of incompetence we’re seeing,» he said. «Incompetence is probably the most polite thing I can describe, but it certainly looks like a cover-up.»

The Justice Department and FBI have struggled to quell the mounting public pressure on them to release more information related to the Epstein investigation, underscoring the story’s sticking power in a fast-moving news cycle and among Trump supporters, who have been some of the leading voices in demanding the information be released.

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Dublin protesters clash with police, burn vehicle after migrant accused of sexually assaulting Irish girl

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Protesters set a police car on fire and hurled glass bottles at officers in Dublin, Ireland, on Tuesday night after an illegal migrant was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a 10-year-old Irish girl who was in state care.

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The violence erupted outside the City West Hotel, a sprawling former hotel-turned migrant center where an illegal migrant — who had deportation orders standing against him — is accused of attacking the girl late Sunday night.

Irish police, An Garda Síochána, said that six people were arrested during the clashes and one female police officer suffered a foot injury.

HERE’S WHY IRELAND IS AT BOILING POINT OVER MASS IMMIGRATION

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Onlookers film a Garda vehicle burning as a demonstration outside a hotel housing asylum seekers turned violent in Saggart, southwest Dublin, on Oct. 21, 2025. Police in riot gear clashed with hundreds of protesters after allegations that a 10-year-old girl was sexually assaulted. (Peter Murphy / AFP via Getty Images)

Police said their officers were subject to «sustained attacks» as they tried to cordon off the building. Nearly 300 police were dispatched to the area in Saggart.

Some protesters were seen waving Irish flags while others could be heard chanting, «Get them out, get them out,» in reference to the 2,000 migrants living at the shelter.

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Police said protesters hurled hundreds of empty glass bottles from nearby garbage containers and bricks at officers, while fireworks were also discharged. A police helicopter was targeted with lasers, a spokesperson said.

Men on horseback attempted to breach police lines by charging at law enforcement, police said. Police used pepper spray as they tried to disperse the crowd.

«An Garda Síochána facilitates peaceful protests on a daily basis. This was obviously not a peaceful protest,» Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly said in a statement. «The actions this evening can only be described as thuggery. This was a mob intent on violence against Gardaí.»

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Protester films as Garda vehicle burns during violent Dublin protest.

A protester films as a Garda vehicle burns during violent clashes outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Saggart, southwest Dublin, on Oct. 21, 2025. (Peter Murphy / AFP via Getty Images)

Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin condemned the attacks on police and said there was «no justification for the vile abuse against them.»

On Wednesday, he said the girl who was allegedly raped had not been protected by the state and the circumstances around the alleged attack are of «deep concern.»

THOUSANDS MARCH IN DUBLIN AGAINST IRELAND’S MASS MIGRATION POLICIES AS MCGREGOR PURSUES PRESIDENTIAL BID

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The victim was in the care of child protection services, known as «Tusla,» which said she had absconded from staff during a planned recreational trip in the city center. It is unclear how she got in contact with the suspect.

The suspect, who is in his 20s, is originally from Africa, according to the Irish Mirror. He arrived in Ireland six years ago and failed his application for international protection in 2024 and was ordered deported in March, according to the Irish Times.

The incident took place on the grounds of Citywest, a former hotel which for the last few years has been housing migrants seeking international protection. 

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The Irish government bought the hotel in September for around $150 million with the aim of turning it into a permanent migrant facility despite several protests by locals.

Protester waves Irish flag in front of riot police during Dublin protest.

A protester waves the Irish flag in front of riot police on Oct. 21, 2025, in Dublin, Ireland. Demonstrators gathered outside the Citywest Hotel after police arrested a foreign national in connection with the alleged rape of a 10-year-old girl.  (Getty Images)

Tensions around mass immigration continue to bubble since November 2023 when hundreds of rioters looted shops, set fire to vehicles and threw rocks at police officers after three young children were stabbed outside a school allegedly by an Algerian-born suspect who had become an Irish citizen.

Last week, a 17-year-old Ukrainian was murdered just days after he came to Ireland and was placed in asylum care operated by Tusla. A Somalian youth, also an asylum seeker and described as a minor, has been charged with his murder, according to RTE News.

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A homeless foreign national was arrested and charged last week with the murder of an 89-year-old Irish woman, per the Irish Independent.

On Friday, Irish people go to the polls to elect a new president.

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Government shutdown knowledge: gaming out its potential end

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«I know that I know nothing» – Socrates

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«You don’t know nothing» – Baseball Legend Yogi Berra

Socrates may have been claiming ignorance, Berra was talking about baseball, but both may as well have been talking about the government shutdown.

So when will it end?

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«You shouldn’t ask me because I’m the guy who said it’ll only last five days,» Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., said on Fox. «But I will tell you, a couple of Democrat senators recently indicated that they think this is going to go ‘til at least the first of November.»

However, Biggs added that he doesn’t «see an end in sight.»

GOVERNMENT ENTERS LONGEST FULL SHUTDOWN IN US HISTORY WITH NO END IN SIGHT

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The government shutdown is now entering its fourth week. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Whether you are Socrates or Yogi Berra, we don’t know «nothing.» Which technically means that we do know something.

However, I do know proper grammar.

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The one thing that I do know in this case is that I don’t know anything about ending the government shutdown.

REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN STALLS AS DEMOCRATS DEMAND OBAMACARE SUBSIDY EXTENSION

Regardless… Is it even possible to game out when the government shutdown may end?

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Congressional Republicans believed that Democrats would fold after a matter of days once funding lapsed in the wee hours of Oct. 1. Then Republicans argued that Democrats would cry «uncle» once federal workers missed their first paycheck last week. Later, the GOP suggested Democrats would keep the government shuttered through the «No Kings» rallies around the country last weekend.

The GOP argued that Democrats needed to show their base that they were «fighting» against President Donald Trump.

«Now that they had their protests, I just pray that they come to their senses and re-open the government this week,» said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.

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Rep. Andy Biggs

Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., says he doesn’t «see an end in sight.»  (Getty Images)

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., accused Republicans of continually changing their reasons for why Democrats are blocking the GOP bill to fund the government.

«In a few days, it will be about something else,» Jeffries said.

So, we enter the ice age of Congressional inactivity as the government shutdown enters its fourth week.

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Who could have predicted it?

Then again, who could have predicted thieves could make off with millions of dollars of jewelry inside the Louvre in an historic heist? At least the bandits stole our attention away from the government shutdown for a bit.

SHUTDOWN STANDSTILL: NO HEADWAY UNTIL THERE’S ‘INCENTIVE,’ POLITICOS LAMENT

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That said, everyone knows (even if they won’t say it publicly) who will likely end the government shutdown: Trump.

He’s not just the president. Trump has a sway over Republicans in Congress that Ronald Reagan could only envy. So until he joins the fray, the government will remain closed.

«Donald Trump definitively needs to get involved. He needs to get off the sidelines. Get off the golf course and actually decide to end the shutdown that he’s created and that he has allowed to happen,» Jeffries said.

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«Donald Trump, instead of leaving the country before he leaves the country, should sit down and negotiate with us so we can address this horrible crisis,» said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. «The president should meet with us. It’s not me, him or anything political. It’s that the people are in crisis every day.»

trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One

President Trump met with Republican lawmakers this week. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

The president did meet with lawmakers this week, holding court with Senate Republicans for lunch in the renovated Rose Garden.

«Did you notice the white marble floor?» quipped the president.

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But Democrats contend that Trump huddled with the wrong party. Schumer characterized it as «a Rose Garden pep rally.»

Trump implored Democrats to bend – and vote for the GOP spending bill.

«They’re getting killed in the polls,» he said.

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SCREAMING MATCH ERUPTS BETWEEN HAKEEM JEFFRIES, MIKE LAWLER AS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN CHAOS CONTINUES

«Shouldn’t the president get involved in negotiations at this stage to end this?» yours truly asked Johnson.

«We’re not going [to] pay a ransom to reopen the federal government,» replied the speaker.

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«Isn’t the only key to end this shutdown to just have a sit-down negotiation with both sides?» I countered.

«Republicans have nothing to offer to Democrats,» replied Johnson.

Mike Johnson standing in a congressional doorway

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., meanwhile, contends that «Republicans have nothing to offer Democrats.» (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)

In fact, some Republicans argued that Trump shouldn’t even negotiate.

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«If I’ve learned anything about President Trump, it’s his timing. I think that he feels like the timing is not right now. We’re winning the messaging war,» said Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan. «So there’ll be a time. But the time is not ripe yet.»

It’s unclear when that time may come, considering that the government has remained shuttered for more than three weeks.

And two weeks ago, Republicans torched Schumer for declaring things got «better» for Democrats the longer the shutdown dragged on, but shutdown fatigue is now setting in on Capitol Hill.

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BATTLEGROUND REPUBLICANS HOLD THE LINE AS JOHNSON PRESSURES DEMS ON SHUTDOWN

«Welcome to day 22 of the Democrats’ shutdown,» Johnson declared at the now sonorous daily press briefings delivered by both sides.

«This does suck,» said Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., on Fox Business about the shutdown.

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Lawmakers are now seeking shutdown daylight.

«The hope is that we get this shutdown resolved before the end of the month,» Jeffries said.

Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., expresses hope that the shutdown will be resolved by the end of the month. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

There’s worry about how the shutdown might impact national parks.

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«(Here are) the more negative consequences that we’ll start to see without regular staffing. Litter will pile up and park ecosystems will be affected,» said House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman, R-Ark.

Both parties are convinced they’re prevailing in the shutdown.

«What I did hear on our telephone town hall repeatedly (is) ‘Don’t you guys give into these hostage takers,’» said Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho. «I heard that repeatedly.»

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«It’s resonating with Americans. What I’m hearing from people in Connecticut is ‘hang tough,’» said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.

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The Senate holds a test vote Thursday on a bill to pay essential workers who are on the job without a paycheck, but Democrats are skeptical.

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«I’d be in favor of paying the federal workers,» said Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt. «That bill, unfortunately, gives a lot of latitude to the president to pick and choose, or, I should say, (White House Budget Director) Russell Vought to pick and choose (who gets paid).»

So while shutdown weariness sets in, no one knows when it might end.

It is said that knowing what you don’t know actually constitutes true knowledge.

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And if no one knows the end of the shutdown, that must mean that everyone is pretty smart.

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Detuvieron a la gemela de una mujer acusada de matar a cuatro personas: “Asesina serial como su hermana”

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El Ministerio Público de San Pablo acusó formalmente a las gemelas Roberta Cristina Veloso Fernandes y Ana Paula Veloso Fernandes de ser “asesinas seriales”. Ambas están presas por una serie de envenenamientos cometidos entre enero y mayo en los estados de San Pablo y Río de Janeiro.

Los fiscales sostienen que Roberta “instigó” y “alentó” a Ana Paula a cometer los crímenes, llegando incluso a participar en la planificación de los ataques.

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Leé también: Brasil: investigan a una estudiante de Derecho acusada de matar con veneno a su exnovio y a tres víctimas más

Por primera vez, la Justicia brasileña calificó a Roberta como “asesina serial”, igual que a su hermana.

Ana Paula Velloso Fernandes habría asesinado a cuatro personas con veneno. (Foto: gentileza O Globo).

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“Estamos ante otra ‘serial killer’”, escribieron los fiscales Rodrigo Merli Antunes y Vania Caceres Stefanoni en la denuncia contra Roberta. “Demuestra ser una asesina en serie, igual que su hermana”, apuntaron.

Cómo operaban las gemelas: veneno y móviles económicos

Las investigaciones revelaron que las hermanas usaban veneno en bebidas y alimentos para eliminar a sus víctimas, casi siempre por motivos económicos. Un informe pericial confirmó la presencia de insecticida en los frascos encontrados en la vivienda de Ana Paula, en Guarulhos, en la región metropolitana de San Pablo.

Leé también: El caso que sacudió a Mar del Plata: mató a su marido dándole veneno para ratas, la condenaron y destapó un infierno familiar

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Según la causa, Ana Paula también “sentía placer al matar”. Además, no actuó sola: Michelle Paiva da Silva, de 43 años e hija de una de las víctimas, está acusada de haber pagado 4 mil reales a las gemelas para que envenenaran y mataran a su propio padre, de 65 años.

Ana Paula fue detenida en julio, Roberta en agosto y Michelle en octubre. El Ministerio Público pidió que la prisión de Roberta pase de temporaria a preventiva y que pague 80 mil reales como reparación mínima a las familias de las cuatro víctimas.

Encontraron un frasco con un potente insecticida en la casa de Ana Paula. (Foto: gentileza Metrópoles/g1).

Encontraron un frasco con un potente insecticida en la casa de Ana Paula. (Foto: gentileza Metrópoles/g1).

Quiénes son las víctimas de las gemelas

  • Marcelo Hari Fonseca: dueño de la casa que alquilaba Ana Paula en Guarulhos. Murió el 31 de enero tras comer un sándwich que posiblemente estaba envenenado. Tras su muerte, la estudiante universitaria comenzó a exigir a la familia del hombre que le permitiera permanecer en la residencia. La mujer afirmó tener una relación romántica con él, lo cual es falso, según la policía.
  • Maria Aparecida Rodrigues: conoció a Ana Paula a través de una app de citas. Luego fue a la casa de la estudiante, donde comió una torta presuntamente envenenada. Regresó a su casa en Guarulhos, se sintió mal y murió el 11 de abril.
  • Neil Corrêa da Silva: padre de Michelle, amigo de Ana Paula y excompañero de la universidad. Según la policía, su hija pagó a la asesina en serie R$4.000 para viajar a Duque de Caxias, Río de Janeiro, donde vivía el hombre de 65 años. La mujer le puso veneno en sus porotos. El hombre murió el 26 de abril.
  • Hayder Mhazres: un joven tunecino de 21 años que conoció Ana Paula a través de una aplicación de citas. Según la policía, tras iniciar una relación con ella, quiso terminarla, lo que llevó a la estudiante a matarlo. La mujer le habría servido un licuado envenenado. Tras su muerte, la familia de la víctima declaró que Ana Paula afirmó estar embarazada de su hijo y les había pedido dinero. Según la investigación, mintió sobre el embarazo.

En un interrogatorio grabado, Ana Paula admitió haber matado animales con veneno. Según el diario Estadao, la estudiante también habría matado a 14 perros para probar la eficacia del veneno.

Si se confirman las muertes, la sospechosa también podría ser acusada ​​de crueldad animal.

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Leé también: Sanae Takaichi hizo historia y se convirtió en la primera ministra de Japón

El caso que estremece a Brasil

La historia de las gemelas Veloso Fernandes, acusadas de planear y ejecutar una serie de asesinatos con veneno, mantiene en vilo a la opinión pública de Brasil. La Justicia avanza en el proceso y busca determinar el alcance real de los crímenes y la responsabilidad de cada una de las involucradas.

Brasil, asesino serial

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