This is the Sept. 16, 2026, edition of “The Tea, Spilled by Morning Joe” newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered straight to your inbox Monday through Friday.
“Are you ready to shut up?”
— Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley to Sen. Cory Booker during FBI Director Kash Patel’s testimony yesterday
Sen. Peter Welch had a pretty simple question for FBI Director Kash Patel yesterday:
Would he pledge that the FBI would not interfere with Americans going to the polls in November?
You could see Patel winding up.
And then — the 50 Cent opening pitch:
“I pledge unequivocally that I will not participate in your charade of lies.”
What does that even mean?
A U.S. senator just asked a question. You’re not there to attack members or pull stunts. You’re not performing for an audience of one.
In normal times, that’s where the chairman steps in — regardless of party.
Article 1 gives Congress oversight authority. Answer the question, or we’ll take this behind closed doors.
That just doesn’t happen anymore.
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CHARTS OF THE DAY
Source: The Economist/YouGov poll of 1,461 registered voters conducted Sept. 11-14, 2026. Margin of error: ±3.3%
ON THIS DATE
On Sept. 16, 1620, the Mayflower set sail from England for America carrying just over 100 passengers. After a “horrific voyage,” the Pilgrims reached Cape Cod in November. There they encountered the Wampanoag — who spoke a language called Massachusett — and founded Plymouth colony, the first permanent European settlement in New England.
WHAT THEY SAID
Jonathan Lemire on Kash Patel’s testimony
“It is just a performance to please those watching on television, and also a preview of what’s to come. Trump officials treat Congress with utter contempt. If the Democrats seize control of a chamber or two by January, that’s what everything’s going to be like — if the Trump officials bother to show up at all.”
John Heilemann on Trump attacking the Supreme Court
“It’s consistent with the attitude that he did them a favor: ‘I put you on the court, you owe me now forever.’ That’s the way he thinks about the Justice Department, and anybody he has ever been involved with, whether they’re in the judiciary or an independent agency. That’s the way he’s been his whole life.”
Willie Geist on the Kennedy Center
“Congress created this memorial to John F. Kennedy, so only Congress, by their vote, can change the name or vote to bulldoze it. So it’s one more question here for this Congress: Are you going to stand by and watch this happen? Or will you step up and say, ‘No, no, this is a bridge too far.’”
Sam Stein on Trump’s trades
“I just can’t get over the 60 trades a day. He’s got a job, but he’s apparently trading stocks all the time, taking conference calls with the Kennedy Center board to berate the one Democratic member, and managing vanity projects across Washington, D.C. Where are his priorities? The public is paying more for gas and for groceries, while this guy is profiting from ownership stakes in companies and spends his days worrying about a ballroom. It just doesn’t make sense.”
The post What does Kash Patel even mean by “charade of lies”? appeared first on MS NOW.
