Podcast Summary: The Find Out Podcast

Episode: Kash Patel's Senate Meltdown
Date: September 17, 2025
Host(s): Tim, Chris, Luke
Guest: Senator Chris Coons (D-DE), Senate Judiciary Committee
Theme: An inside look at Kash Patel’s contentious Senate Judiciary hearing, the politicization of federal law enforcement under Trump’s second term, and the chilling consequences for civil society in America.

1. Overview of the Episode

This special Wednesday episode features Senator Chris Coons discussing the "fiery" Senate Judiciary Committee hearing that morning, where newly appointed FBI Director Kash Patel faced intense scrutiny. The discussion branches into topics of government weaponization, political violence, domestic extremism, and the Trump administration's increasingly loyalty-focused selections for top posts. Throughout, the hosts and their guest reflect on what these developments signal for American democracy and everyday activism.

2. Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Kash Patel Senate Judiciary Hearing

• Opening Remarks on the Hearing

  • Senator Coons describes the tone: "We had a fiery morning here in the Senate on our Judiciary Committee." – [00:36]
  • The hearing was marked by Patel’s defensive, sometimes irate, reactions—especially with prominent Democratic senators.

• Senators’ Concerns About Politicization

  • Senators pressed Patel on his earlier promises:
    • Not to politicize the FBI.
    • Not to pursue political revenge.
    • To focus on crime and national security, not personal vendettas. – [01:14]
  • "…he has, over the last six to nine months, cleaned house, forced out a whole series of senior former FBI agents." – Senator Coons [01:32]
  • Specific questions included: polygraph tests for loyalty, politically-motivated firings, and targeting January 6th investigators.
  • Coons notes Patel’s selection was driven as much by "books…campaigning…podcast and…tweeting" as any legal qualifications – [02:30]
  • Conclusion: “He’s making the American people less safe. He’s more concerned with his image than with the substance.” – Senator Coons [03:04]

The Broader Trend in Trump’s Cabinet and Appointments

• Trump is prioritizing loyalty above competence or expertise.

  • Example: the new Secretary of Defense is a former Fox Weekend host, not a military leader.
  • “We got a secretary of defense who wasn’t even the Fox and Friends weekday host, we got the weekend guy.” – Tim [04:54]
  • Senator Coons: “He has selectively chosen…leaders of major agencies, people who are loyal rather than people who are experienced and competent.” [04:25]

• Rebranding and Culture-War Moves

  • The Department of Defense is rebranded as the Department of War—at great cost and with "culture war" overtones.
  • “It’s just more culture wars and more visual signaling.” – Senator Coons [05:44]
  • Efforts to erase diversity from departmental symbols are seen as disrespectful and wasteful.

Impact on FBI, Public Safety, and Civil Rights

• Senior FBI agents are leaving; this loss of experience hinders anti-terror and domestic extremism investigations. – [06:51]

• Chris Goldsmith (co-host and anti-extremism activist) shares chilling firsthand experience:

  • No contact from the FBI since the election despite being a victim of neo-Nazi threats.
  • Victim notification protocols have stopped.
  • “The FBI is not… able to even let us know that people are getting arrested for making threats against us.” – Chris Goldsmith [08:50]

• Senator Coons responds:

  • “That is a chilling reminder of the ways in which the trajectory of enforcement and engagement has changed at the FBI.” [08:50]

Political Violence and Partisan Blame After Charlie Kirk’s Assassination

• The assassination of right-wing figure Charlie Kirk is discussed as a national tragedy.

  • Missteps by the FBI included premature public statements and a sense that proximity to power influenced the response. – [09:50]
  • Senator Coons calls for equal standards in all politically-motivated violence probes, contrasts the administration’s lopsided focus on “left-wing ideology.” – [11:13]

• Coons details complexity: while mental illness is often involved, radicalization and political targeting by both sides persist.

  • “Often the search for an ideological or a partisan political base is not fruitful because folks are driven by things very specific to them.” – [12:40]

• Immediate Blame from the Right

  • The right, including the President, blamed left-wingers instantly.
  • Coons reflects on the discipline and commitment to the truth required to avoid weaponizing such tragedies for political gain.
  • “...they’re showing more their colors as folks who are sharply politically motivated...” – [16:45]
  • Contrasts with the measured response from Senator Jeff Flake after the 2017 Scalise shooting, who refused to blame Bernie Sanders – [17:12]

Exposure and Harassment of Academics & Activists

• Chris Goldsmith and the hosts highlight Charlie Kirk's “Professor Watch List.”

  • Goldsmith: “Anytime he put a professor on there, they would be swarmed with death threats... It would ruin careers, force teachers to move their families...” – [17:53–18:53]
  • The hosts and Coons discuss the blurring of free speech, harassment, and what amounts to "political violence."

• In the wake of Kirk’s assassination, a site is now doxing anyone who comments publicly on his death, even if not celebrating it, leading to mass harassment.

  • “That’s like 30,000 submissions right now.” – [22:28]

• Coons admits he hadn’t heard these specifics but broadens to American society’s growing “enthusiasm for harassment and aggression” and the very real consequences for speaking out. – [20:22]

Erosion of Guardrails and What Democrats Can Do

• Goldsmith asks what protection, if any, exists for left-leaning researchers and activists as the administration threatens prosecution.
• Coons: Minority Democrats can make noise, demand answers, and raise issues—but without majority control, can do little to guarantee safety. – [13:56]
• He highlights the danger as the Senate confirms agency heads for their loyalty alone.

January 6th and Two Americas

• Coons uses January 6th as the “demonstrable moment” for how political violence is now interpreted through a purely partisan lens.
  • “This is relatively new to modern America that we could have an incident so shattering… and before and after a presidential election, have members of Congress, law enforcement, the general public, and the president himself view it, speak about it, and act on it in diametrically opposite ways.” – [23:20]

3. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On FBI politicization:

  “He’s making the American people less safe. He’s more concerned with his image than with the substance.”
  — Senator Coons, [03:04]

• On the new Secretary of Defense:

  “We got a secretary of defense who wasn’t even the Fox and Friends weekday host, we got the weekend guy.”
  — Tim, [04:54]

• On political targeting:

  “Trump has selectively chosen in his cabinet... people who are loyal rather than people who are experienced and competent.”
  — Senator Coons, [04:25]

• On the consequences for researchers:

  “The FBI is not, not able to even let us know that people are getting arrested for making threats against us.”
  — Chris Goldsmith, [08:50]

• On the increased risk under the new administration:

  “Is there anything we can do that will guarantee that they won’t overreach…? No, because without a majority in the Senate, you can’t do virtually anything.”
  — Senator Coons, [13:56]

• On partisan blame following violence:

  “They’re showing more their colors as folks who are sharply politically motivated and want to take advantage of this moment…”
  — Senator Coons, [16:45]

• On the Professor Watch List:

  “Anytime he put a professor on there, they'd be swarmed with death threats... it would ruin careers... force teachers to move…”
  — Chris Goldsmith, [17:53–18:53]

4. Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:36] – Senator Coons describes the “fiery” Judiciary hearing
• [01:14–03:04] – Senators press Patel; concerns about politicization
• [04:25–05:44] – Trump’s loyalty-first appointments, Secretary of War
• [06:51–08:50] – FBI purges, chilling effect on anti-extremism efforts (Goldsmith testimonial)
• [09:50–12:40] – Kirk assassination, FBI's response, double standards in violence investigations
• [13:56] – Protection for left-leaning researchers and activists; Coons admits limits
• [16:45–17:12] – Partisan blame after political violence, need for restraint, Scalise shooting memory
• [17:53–18:53] – Charlie Kirk’s Professor Watch List detailed
• [22:28] – New doxing website in reaction to Kirk's death, mass harassment further discussed
• [23:20] – Coons' assessment: January 6th and America’s “two truths” problem

5. Flow, Tone, and Final Thoughts

The episode maintains the Find Out Podcast’s irreverent, candid, and at times darkly humorous tone. The hosts and Senator Coons balance grim warnings about America’s political shift with moments of levity and personal testimony. The episode is rich with inside perspectives, lived experiences, and candid assessments of institutional decline and partisan divides.

Above all, the conversation underscores the urgency of vigilance and solidarity among those fighting for democracy and research integrity in a political landscape that is, as the podcast notes, “crazy beyond belief.”