Bulwark Takes – “Tim Miller: Kash Patel is LAUGHABLY Unfit for the Job”

Date: September 17, 2025
Host(s): Tim Miller (Bulwark), Nicole Wallace
Guest(s): Sam Stein, with discussion of Senator Adam Schiff and Kash Patel

Episode Overview

This “Bulwark Takes” episode dissects the recent high-profile Senate hearing featuring Kash Patel, with Tim Miller and panel offering critical reactions to Patel's temperament, credibility, and fitness for high office. The show also delves into the Trump administration's handling of the Epstein scandal, the shifting of blame to Alex Acosta, Trump’s escalating legal attacks on the press, and the broader threats to American free speech. Listeners get lively, pointed discussion and analysis about the performance of government officials under scrutiny and the implications for democracy.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Kash Patel Senate Testimony & Temperament

• Patel's Explosive Performance
  • Patel, under tough questioning about the transfer of Ghislaine Maxwell and the Epstein investigation, lashed out at senators, including Adam Schiff, calling him “the biggest fraud to ever sit in the United States Senate… a disgrace to this and an utter coward.” (03:09)
• Tim Miller’s Assessment
  • Miller skewers Patel’s lack of professionalism:

    “Could you just imagine Bob Mueller or Jim Comey sitting there, screaming like a crazed maniac... as if he's a reply guy in the senator's comment feed with his eyeballs bulging?” (04:49)

  • He questions Patel's temperament and leadership capabilities:

    “It didn't give me a lot of confidence that somebody… who has to make a lot of tough decisions… has the temperament to handle that job. I think there’s a good reason to doubt that.” (05:02)

2. The Epstein Saga & Acosta’s Role

• Patel Attempts to Shift Blame to Alex Acosta

  • Patel identifies Acosta, Trump’s former Labor Secretary, as responsible for the “original sin” in the Epstein case.

    “If I were the FBI director, then it wouldn't have happened.” (06:55)

• Panel Reaction

  • Nicole Wallace notes:

    “He ran him over with a bus, then put the bus in reverse and decided to run him over again… It does raise questions about why Trump himself… would hire someone who was the author of the original sin in the Epstein saga.” (07:34)

  • With Acosta scheduled for a House Oversight interview soon, the panel anticipates further revelations and pressure.

• Notable GOP Frustration

  • Tim Miller underscores bipartisan skepticism toward Patel's answers:

    “Even Republican Senator John Kennedy ended his remarks by saying that is extremely unsatisfactory. You're going to have to come up with something better than that…” (06:07)

3. The Trump Cabinet & Epstein Connections

• Direct Questioning about Trump Cabinet Members in the Epstein Orbit
  • Schiff pushes Patel about which cabinet members Ghislaine Maxwell alluded to as connected to Epstein. Patel evades:

    “I do not have that transcript in front of me.” (10:42-10:51)

• Tim Miller Adds Context
  • Miller flags the Trump administration’s lack of transparency:

    “At least one of the cabinet members she's referencing is the Secretary of Health and Human Services, RFK Jr.… It doesn't seem like this administration is very interested in learning any more about that… They are obviously doing a cover up of Trump’s mentions in the Epstein files...” (12:34)

4. Trump’s Lawsuit Against The New York Times and Threats to Free Speech

• Trump Files $15 Billion Suit Against NYT & Journalists
  • Lawsuit targets Times reporters and Penguin Random House, alleging intentional efforts to harm Trump and his reputation.
  • Nicole Wallace reads statement from the Times, asserting the suit is “an attempt to stifle and discourage independent reporting.” (15:09)
• Critical Panel Analysis
  • Tim Miller condemns the lawsuit as “preposterous on its face… It's a completely ridiculous, laughable lawsuit.” (16:40)
  • He connects this escalation to recent media settlements (CBS/ABC), saying:

    “Them folding is going to have extreme long term ramifications… it creates a chilling effect across the industry.” (16:40-18:48)

• Nicole Wallace on Chilling Effect:

  “The purpose of this Times lawsuit is… trying to dissuade future reporting around him and into his finances… I worry outlets are going to say, ‘Do we really need to use that adjective or do that story?’ Because we risk getting hit with a lawsuit for... $15 billion.” (19:45)

5. The Politics and Value of Free Speech

• Pam Bondi Comments and the Right’s Internal Debate

  • Pam Bondi prompts backlash with her remarks about prosecuting “hate speech.”
  • Miller notes hypocrisy and potential targeting of journalists:

    “A lot of your allies say hate speech is free speech to probably go after people like you because you treat me so unfairly, it's hate.” (18:49)

• Panelists Urge the Left to Reclaim Free Speech

  • Miller:

    “I think it would be smart for the left to take up the mantle of free speech in this moment… This is a different category… This is the President of the United States… telling [John Carl] that he practices hate speech.” (21:58)
    “The idea that the federal government would use… the Justice Department… or their employer based on a tweet… is deeply chilling. It is anti free speech.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Kash Patel to Adam Schiff:

  “You are the biggest fraud to ever sit in the United States Senate. Disgrace to this and an utter coward.” (03:09)

• Tim Miller on Patel’s Demeanor:

  “Didn’t give me a lot of confidence… has the temperament to kind of handle that job.” (05:02)

• Nicole Wallace on Patel Shifting Blame:

  “He ran him over with a bus, then put the bus in reverse and decided to run him over again…” (07:34)

• Sam Stein on Cabinet Connections to Epstein:

  “Who on earth doesn’t want to know who in the cabinet… hung out with Jeffrey Epstein? Like, how does that happen?” (11:56)

• Tim Miller on Lawsuits and Media Responsibility:

  “The media companies that folded are almost as culpable as he is.” (18:48)

• Nicole Wallace on the Impact of Trump’s Lawsuits:

  “It's meant to have a chilling effect on other… news outlets…” (19:45)

• Tim Miller’s Advice to the Left:

  “I think it would be smart for the left to take up the mantle of free speech in this moment.” (21:58)

Key Timestamps

• 01:00 — Tim Miller Recaps Panel Appearance and Topics
• 03:09 — Patel’s Heated Exchange with Adam Schiff
• 04:49 — Miller Skewers Patel’s Temperament
• 06:55 — Patel Shifts Blame to Acosta for Epstein “Original Sin”
• 07:34 — Nicole Wallace on Patel’s Decision to Pin It on Acosta
• 10:42-10:51 — Patel Ducks On Cabinet Names in Epstein Probe
• 12:34 — Miller on Cabinet Members/Suspected Epstein Connections
• 13:55 — Trump Lawsuit Against NYT Detailed
• 16:40-18:48 — Miller and Panel Explains Chilling Effects on Journalism
• 19:45 — Wallace on Press Intimidation and the Stakes for Free Speech
• 21:58 — Miller’s Urgent Call for the Left to Defend Free Speech

Tone and Language

• Candid, irreverent, and sharply critical—true to The Bulwark’s style.
• Speakers mix pointed humor, frustration, and policy analysis.
• Language is direct and often colorful (e.g., “like a crazed maniac,” “ran him over with a bus,” “preposterous lawsuit”).

Summary Takeaway

This episode spotlights deep bipartisan skepticism about Kash Patel’s ability to serve, the Trump team’s blame-shifting amid the Epstein scandal, and growing threats to press freedom posed by litigious intimidation. The panel urges the political left to champion free speech, warning that attacks from the top combined with media cowardice endanger the democratic process.

[End of Summary]