FBI Director, Kash Patel has faced questioning from the Senate Judiciary Committee over his handling of the investigation into Charlie Kirk’s killing as well as the case of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In the hearing that lasted over four hours, Patel repeatedly defended his handling of the investigation into Kirk’s assassination last week. He had faced criticism for his actions and social media statements made during the manhunt.
Nonetheless, Patel told the Senate panel that his agency — “at my direction” — successfully brought the suspect in Kirk’s killing into custody.
Patel addressed his decision to announce during the manhunt for Kirk’s killer that a subject was in custody before that person was ultimately released.
“What the FBI does is not just locate and find suspects, but we also participate in eliminating subjects, and what we had at the time was a subject in custody in relation to this investigation.
“So in my commitment to work with the public to help identify subjects and suspects, I put that information out, and then when we interviewed him, I put out the results of that.”
Kash Patel
Patel reiterated that he could have been “more careful in my verbiage.”
Senator Peter Welch asserted that Patel made a mistake with his social media post. “I don’t see it as a mistake,” Patel said, adding that he saw it as “working with the public to identify that there was a subject in custody.”
Also, Patel rejected accusations that FBI employees have been fired for political views or work on January 6 cases.
“The only way, generally speaking, an individual is terminated at the FBI is if they have violated their oath of office, violated the law, or failed to uphold the standards that we need them to have at the FBI.”
Kash Patel
Patel also defended the department’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case and blamed former Labor Secretary Alex Acosta, who served as the Prosecutor in Epstein’s Florida case in 2006.
He noted that the FBI has “no credible information” that Epstein trafficked teenage girls to others.
“There is no credible information — none. If there were, I would bring the case yesterday that he trafficked to other Individuals and the information we have, again, is limited.”
Kash Patel
Patel said that the current case files only included “limited search warrants” between 2006 and 2007 because federal prosecutors in Florida had previously cut a secret deal with Epstein that allowed him to avoid prosecution for his previous actions.
Referring to court orders that have limited the release of grand jury transcripts in the case, Patel said, “We will release everything we are legally permitted to do so,” adding, “We are continuing to work with the House on the subpoena request.”
However, Patel and New Jersey Democrat, Cory Booker got into a shouting match as Booker charged that Patel is responsible for a “generational destruction of the nation’s premier law enforcement agency.”
Patel fired back at Booker, telling him that he was an “embarrassment.”
For several moments, the Republican chairman of the committee, Senator Chuck Grassley, pounded his gavel but struggled to gain control of the two men.
Still, Booker predicted that Patel would not last long in his post. He told Patel that Trump “will cut you loose. This may be the last time I have a hearing with you.”
Patel took the opportunity to give a retort to Democratic Senators who say the reason he got the job was his loyalty to President Donald Trump.
Patel’s leadership of the FBI has been marked by turmoil and Democratic accusations that he’s using the law enforcement agency to carry out Trump’s goals.
However, Patel told the Senate panel that it was “an entire falsehood” to suggest that he only got the job because he was a Trump loyalist.
Patel pointed to his experience as an Attorney, Congressional staffer and administration official, saying, “There was no loyalty then. There’s no loyalty now to anything but the Constitution.”
Charlie Kirk’s Murder Suspect Due In Court
Meanwhile, Tyler Robinson, 22, a trade school student suspected of assassinating conservative activist Charlie Kirk at a Utah university, is due in court in the western US state to face formal charges at 3pm (21:00GMT).
Prosecutors are preparing to file a capital murder charge against the suspect who authorities say held a “leftist ideology” and may have been “radicalized” online before he was arrested in the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
Charges against 22-year-old Tyler Robinson are expected to come ahead of the first court hearing since he was accused last week of shooting Kirk.
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