"Don't embarrass the bureau." Among the unwritten rules of the FBI, upholding the reputation of the organization has been paramount since the days of J. Edgar Hoover, who is reputed to have coined the phrase. Without credibility, an institution charged with investigating crimes cannot succeed. That directive, however, is being demolished by the bureau's director Kash Patel.

When Patel testified at a congressional budget hearing Tuesday, recent reports of his excessive drinking came up. He did not simply deny the allegations; he turned them on Sen. Chris Van Hollen. "The only person who was slinging margaritas in El Salvador on the taxpayer dollar with a convicted gang-banging rapist was you," Patel said.

The insult was an apparent reference to the Maryland Democrat's meeting with his constituent Kilmar Abrego Garcia, after his erroneous deportation and imprisonment. Garcia has denied membership in any gangs, and there is no public evidence of any allegation, let alone a conviction, for rape. Van Hollen called the allegations that........

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