WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥 FBI Director Kash Patel defended the Trump administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files Wednesday as he returned to Capitol Hill for a second day to face intense questioning from Democrats over his promises of transparency surrounding the wealthy financier’s criminal case.
The political blowback over the not to publicly release more investigative files from Epstein’s case was at the center of Patel’s five-hour appearance before the House Judiciary Committee.
It followed an on Tuesday during which Democrats focused their attention on their criticism that Patel has politicized the bureau and turned it into a weapon against Trump’s perceived enemies.
Here’s a look at some key takeaways from Wednesday’s hearing:
Tense moments surrounding t
he Epstein files
Some of the most explosive exchanges centered around the Justice Department’s handling of files related to the Epstein sex trafficking investigation as well as the FBI director’s past comments that raised conservatives’ hopes that the Trump administration would unearth new bombshells.
The top Democrat on the committee, Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, played a clip from a 2023 interview in which Patel said that the FBI had Epstein’s 鈥渂lack book鈥 with client names. After a lengthy review, the Justice Department in July said there was no evidence a so-called 鈥渃lient list鈥 existed and it would not be publicly releasing any more files in its possession.
鈥淗ow did you go from being a crusader for accountability and transparency for the Epstein files to being a part of the conspiracy and cover up?鈥 Raskin said.
In another heated moment, Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California peppered Patel with questions about whether that Trump’s name was included in the Epstein files.
When Patel didn’t immediately answer, Swalwell asked again more slowly, prompting Patel to snap back: 鈥淲hy don’t you try to spell it out if you’re going to mock me? Use the alphabet: A, B, C, D, E, F.鈥
The FBI director repeatedly defended his handling of the files and insisted the FBI had released everything that it was 鈥渓egally allowed鈥 to. He pointed to to unseal grand jury transcripts in the case. Those rulings, however, don’t bar the Justice Department from releasing other investigative files related to the case.
FBI may look into Epstein birthday letter signature
Patel signaled that the FBI would investigate Trump鈥檚 claim that a was forged. The letter was released by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee earlier this month after being handed over by the Epstein estate.
Trump has denied writing the letter bearing his name and what appears to be his signature includes text framed by a hand-drawn outline of a curvaceous woman. The president and the White House have repeatedly said it’s not his signature. The letter was included in a book prepared for Epstein’s 50th birthday in 2003.
The FBI director’s comment came in a line of questioning from Democrat Rep. Jared Moskowitz, who pushed Patel to say whether he would be 鈥渙pening up an investigation into the Epstein estate for putting out a fake document.鈥
Patel initially responded: 鈥淥n what basis?鈥 But when Moskowitz asked again, Patel responded: 鈥淪ure, I鈥檒l do it.鈥 It’s not clear, however, whether the FBI would formally open an investigation and what such a probe would look like.
鈥榊ou have been a disgrace to the American people鈥
As was the case with Patel’s appearance one day earlier before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Wednesday’s hearing featured fiery 鈥 and, in at least one instance, expletive-marked 鈥 exchanges with Democrats.
That includes a shouting match with Swalwell, had called 鈥(expletive)鈥 on the Justice Department by rejecting a request to unseal grand jury testimony in the cases against Epstein and .
Patel repeated that expletive back to him when Swalwell asked him whether he would recuse from any investigations or adverse actions into any of the people, like himself, who were singled out as 鈥渕embers of the Executive Branch Deep State鈥 in a book that Patel wrote before he became director earlier this year.
鈥淚’m going to borrow your terminology and call (expletive) on your entire career,鈥 Patel angrily shouted. 鈥淵ou have been a disgrace to the American people.鈥
Praise from a Democrat on crime
Trump was roundly supported, as expected, by Republicans but picked up praise during a deeply polarized political climate from Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee for the FBI’s participation in a law enforcement surge in Memphis called Operation Viper.
Trump on Monday that National Guard troops would be deployed to the city to combat crime and join a special task force in the city comprised of officials from various federal agencies, including the FBI and DEA.
Lee has said the goal was to 鈥渁ccelerate the positive momentum of Operation Viper,鈥 a federal crime-fighting mission in Memphis.
鈥淵ou did a good job. The police director and the mayor have told me that has been helpful, the FBI working with the police,鈥 Cohen said. 鈥淭hey know Miranda rights. They know how to do policing, and they do a good job working with the police.鈥
The White House posted on social media that the Memphis total crime rate was higher than the national average and suggested that it had increased since last year, bucking national trends. That鈥檚 despite Memphis police recently reporting decreases across every major crime category in the first eight months of 2025 compared to the same period in previous years. Overall crime hit a 25-year low, while murder hit a six-year low, police said.
鈥淲e鈥檝e got some crime, but it鈥檚 not a troubled city. We鈥檙e not troubled,鈥 Cohen said.
鈥楻ussia, Russia, Russia鈥 became a notable moment
Republicans focused attention on one of Trump’s chief grievances, into ties between Russia and his 2016 presidential campaign.
Trump has derided the investigation as a 鈥渉oax,鈥 鈥渨itch hunt鈥 and 鈥淩ussia, Russia, Russia,鈥 and Patel on Wednesday said the fact that it was launched at all was a 鈥渕assive scandal.鈥
The investigation did not establish criminal collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign, but multiple government reviews 鈥 and former special counsel Robert Mueller 鈥 found that the investigation had been opened for a legitimate purpose and that Russia interfered in sweeping fashion in that year’s election.
Patel confirmed to lawmakers that the FBI was investigating different aspects of the Trump-Russia investigation, including leaks to the news media, the discovery of documents from the probe that were found in so-called 鈥渂urn bags鈥 inside FBI headquarters and the that was published in January 2017 and that documented Russian interference.
It is not clear whether any of these inquiries will produce charges or what crimes agents and prosecutors think may have been committed, if either.
Asked during the hearing if there was 鈥渕ore to be done to uncover the depths and origins of the Russia collusion hoax?鈥
鈥淭here is,鈥 Patel replied, 鈥渁nd we’re doing it.鈥
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