Washington: FBI Director Kash Patel faced sharp scrutiny Tuesday from the Senate Judiciary Committee over his leadership of the bureau, with lawmakers sparring over the Jeffrey Epstein files, immigration-related violence, FBI hiring standards, and his decision to sue a magazine over a report on his alleged drinking.
According to Anadolu Agency, Patel defended the Trump administration's handling of the Epstein files, saying the FBI had complied with the Epstein Files Transparency Act and court orders and released about 3.5 million pages. Patel stated that the bureau would examine any genuinely new information. Democrats accused the FBI of protecting President Donald Trump from fallout over Epstein while failing to provide survivors with adequate transparency and accountability.
Patel also defended his decision to file a defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic magazine and journalist Sarah Fitzpatrick over a report alleging he has a drinking problem that interfered with his work. Patel emphasized his right to defend himself as a private citizen. When asked by Sen. Peter Welch whether the FBI had investigated Fitzpatrick, Patel said no, clarifying that the FBI does not investigate personal matters.
The hearing also focused on deadly shootings in Minneapolis by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during a controversial ICE crackdown. Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota pressed Patel on whether the FBI would support criminal investigations and provide information to the families. Patel assured support for all investigations, regardless of the leading authority. However, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension previously reported FBI obstruction in examining evidence in the cases.
Sen. Dick Durbin challenged Patel over the FBI's handling of shootings involving federal immigration officers in Illinois. Patel mentioned that investigations were ongoing and involved multiple federal agencies, emphasizing collaboration with state and local partners before the Justice Department could take action.
Patel defended a policy change regarding the FBI's hiring disqualifiers related to bestiality or animal cruelty before the age of 18. He explained the change was to prevent victims of trafficking or coercion from being automatically excluded from consideration. Republican Sen. John Kennedy questioned the necessity of addressing the issue, to which Patel responded with cases involving coercion.
Patel portrayed the bureau's broader record as one of major public safety gains, citing significant numbers of violent-criminal arrests, arrests of child predators and human traffickers, and the seizure of substantial quantities of fentanyl. However, Democrats disputed his claims and accused Patel of politicizing the FBI, with Durbin labeling him 'the least qualified and most partisan FBI director' in US history.