FBI Director Kash Patel has failed to follow through on his own promises regarding the Epstein files.
Months before Patel’s name was floated to run the bureau, Patel had told podcaster Benny Johnson that he believed the documents were being shielded from public view because of “who’s on that list.” During his confirmation hearing, the 45-year-old swore there would be “no stone left unturned” in the quest to make the Epstein files completely transparent.
But it all came to a head during a heated House Oversight Hearing Wednesday, when members of the lower chamber forced the bureau chief to confront the incongruencies between his prior stances and his recent lagging actions.
“This spring, you ordered hundreds of agents to pour over all of the Epstein files, but not to look for more clues about the money network, or the network of human traffickers,” said Representative Jamie Raskin. “You pulled these agents from their regular counterterrorism or drug trafficking duties to work around the clock—some of them sleeping at their desks—to conduct a frantic search to make sure Donald Trump’s name and image were flagged and redacted wherever they appeared.”
Raskin then highlighted a July memo from the bureau, in which Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi determined “no further disclosure” regarding the Epstein files and the FBI’s investigation “would be necessary or appropriate.”
“In a few short months, how did you go from being a crusader for accountability and transparency with the Epstein files to being part of the conspiracy and coverup?” Raskin continued. “The answer is simple. You said it yourself: because of who is on that list.”
Raskin to Patel: “In a few short months, how did you go from being a crusader for accountability and transparency with the Epstein files to being part of the conspiracy and coverup? The answer is simple. You said it yourself — because of who is on that list.” pic.twitter.com/pPKRP7BHzy
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 17, 2025
Patel’s apparent disinterest in catching child predators has extended far beyond his back-and-forths in Congress. Instead, there appears to be a top-down transformation at the agency influenced by Patel’s personal ideology: just about every agent on the FBI’s Baltimore domestic terrorism squad was directed to refocus their attention on detaining immigrants, forcing agents to pause investigations into violent child predators and pedophilia networks, MSNBC reported Tuesday.
While Patel is grilled on Capitol Hill, another fire appears to be growing against him in the inner echelons of the Trump administration. Patel’s clumsy handling of the manhunt for Charlie Kirk’s killer left the White House thoroughly unimpressed, with insiders reportedly on the lookout for Patel’s replacement.
The post Kash Patel’s Own Words on Epstein Files Come Back to Bite Him appeared first on New Republic.
