At a tense September 17, 2025 Congressional hearing, Kash Patel came under intense scrutiny as Rep. Jamie Raskin confronted him over his shifting stance on the Jeffrey Epstein files and the long-debated “hidden” blackbook. The exchange erupted when Raskin replayed Patel’s earlier statements demanding full public disclosure of Epstein’s co-conspirators and accusing federal agencies of withholding key names. Patel pushed back, clarifying his previous remarks, while lawmakers pressed for answers on why the Epstein network remains sealed years after the financier’s death.
00:00Born in his director more than 200 days ago, now the black book is under your direct control.
00:05So why haven't you released the names of Epstein's co-conspirators in the rape and sex trafficking of young women and girls?
00:12We have released more material than anyone else before.
00:15The Biden administration, Obama administration had the exact opportunities to release this material and they never did.
00:20And if you are selling the men and women of the FBI, we're not going after child predators.
00:23Hang on, you said we're not going after child predators.
00:261,500 child predators arrested this year.
00:2835% increase, 4,700 child victims now.
00:31Mr. Chairman, I'm going to reclaim my time if you can instruct the witness.
00:33And let me make something crystal clear.
00:35I never said Jeffrey Epstein didn't traffic other people, other women, and they're not other victims.
00:40This is the investigation we were given from 2006, 7, and 8 and the search warrants from 2006, 7, and 8.
00:46Everything the court has allowed us to release.
00:48Which court are you talking about?
00:49Three separate federal courts have come in and said.
00:52We're talking about the evidence you've got.
00:54It's got nothing to do with what those courts have.
00:56Do you have any idea how the law works?
00:58Director Patel, before you joined the FBI, you railed against it for covering up Jeffrey Epstein's human trafficking ring.
01:04Let me refresh your memory with this clip.
01:07So you finished that December 2023 interview with a challenge to the FBI and harsh words for Republicans in Congress for not getting the Epstein files out to the public.
01:16Put on your big boy pants and let us know who the pedophiles are, you said.
01:22You emphasized that the president and the FBI director each had complete authority to release Epstein's client list.
01:29You said Epstein's black book is under the, quote, direct control of the director of the FBI.
01:34Look at this clip.
01:34All right.
01:35So you were sworn in as director more than 200 days ago.
01:38Now the black book is under your direct control.
01:41So why haven't you released the names of Epstein's co-conspirators in the rape and sex trafficking of young women and girls?
01:50The Rolodex, which is what everybody colloquially refers to as the black book, has been released.
01:56Oh, no, you're talking about what the journalist got five years ago?
01:58No, that's not what we're talking about.
02:00We're talking about what you were talking about there.
02:02The black book under the direct control of the FBI director.
02:05We have released more material than anyone else before.
02:08The Biden administration, Obama administration had the exact opportunities to release this material, and they never did.
02:13And if you are selling the men and women of the FBI, we're not going after child predators.
02:16Hang on.
02:17You said we're not going after child predators.
02:191,500 child predators arrested this year.
02:2235% increase.
02:23I'll reclaim my time.
02:244,700 child victims now.
02:25Mr. Chairman, I'm going to reclaim my time if you can instruct the witness.
02:28Why have you changed your position?
02:29There you were saying it's under the direct control of the FBI director, and all of it should be released.
02:36Why have you changed your position?
02:37Everything that has been lawfully permitted to be released has been released.
02:42And as I told you, the investigation was limited.
02:45And let me make something crystal clear.
02:46I never said Jeffrey Epstein didn't traffic other people, other women, and they're not other victims.
02:51This is the investigation we were given from 2006, 2007, and 2008, and the search warrant from 2006, 2007, and 2008.
02:57That's what we're working with.
02:58Wait, have you released all of the stuff that the FBI has seized from Epstein's house?
03:04The computers, the emails, the file cabinets, the documents?
03:07What about the financial records?
03:09Have you released all of that?
03:10Everything the court has allowed us to release.
03:12Which court are you talking about?
03:13Three separate federal courts have come in and said.
03:17We're talking about the evidence you've got.
03:18It's got nothing to do with what those courts have.
03:20Do you have any idea how the law works?
03:22Wait a minute.
03:23Do you want me to break the law in a federal judge's order to satisfy your curiosity?
03:25No, I want you to follow your own word, Director Patel.
03:28You said up there it was under the direct control of the FBI director.
03:32He had the black book.
03:33And everything I have direct control over, we have gone to court.
03:37You haven't.
03:37Complete your sentence.
03:38You said everything you have direct control over, you said.
03:41We have gone to court and everything we have direct control over.
03:44Director, but don't complete your sentence.
03:45You said everything.
03:45And can lawfully release, we're releasing.
03:48He'd like to complete his answer.
03:50You began the sentence.
03:52Everything you have direct control over, I.
03:55And then you stopped that sentence.
03:56You've released everything that you have direct control over.
03:58I have direct control over and can lawfully release.
04:02If you're not familiar with the court orders, that's not my fault.
04:04Oh, I'm perfectly familiar with them.
04:07Well, how did we prosecute Ghislaine Maxwell?
04:11She was prosecuted with the investigatory material that was collected from 2001 and 2005.
04:19Because of the non-prosecution agreements and the court orders on the investigations and search warrants,
04:24we were not able to develop new information.
04:27And oh, by the way, Jeffrey Epstein was out for 12 years.
04:30And the Obama and Biden administration did nothing to look at his work, his pedophile network.
04:34If you want to blame me, that's fine.
04:36But now you're blaming the men and women who conducted this great search.
04:39No, stop that.
04:39I'm not blaming anybody other than you.
04:41You're not keeping your word.
04:42You said that you would release all of the materials under your direct control.
04:45Has anyone released more information on Epstein than I have?
04:47Has anyone?
04:47Much more.
04:48Did Comey?
04:48Did Ray?
04:49Much, much more.
04:50Excuse me.
04:51Much more has come out in the days since the American people in Congress have been demanding it.
04:56But it's coming out in dribs and drabs.
04:58Why don't you just release the entire file as you promised to do?
05:01I literally just told you.
05:03There are multiple federal court orders.
05:05I'm not going to break the law to satisfy your curiosity.
05:08You didn't join us when we filed court to release the court orders.
05:12You could have.
05:13You have lawyers.
05:13You could have shown up.
05:15You didn't do that.
05:15That's a tiny fraction of the material we're talking about.
05:18That is not.
05:18It is not a fraction.
05:19How do you know that?
05:20Have you seen everything?
05:21It's all misdirection.
05:22How do you know that?
05:22The time of the gentleman has expired.
05:24Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
05:25Mr. Patel, before you joined the FBI, you had very strong opinions about what the FBI was hiding regarding Jeffrey Epstein.
05:32In a September 2023 interview with Glenn Beck, you said the Black Book is under the, quote, direct control of the director of the FBI.
05:40In December 2023, you said, let us know who the pedophiles are.
05:44Even for a short time after becoming FBI director, in February of 2025, you tweeted, quote, there will be no cover-ups, no missing documents, no stone left unturned.
05:55In June, you told Joe Rogan, quote, we've reviewed all the information.
05:59We're going to give you every single thing we have and can.
06:02But then suddenly in July, everything changed.
06:06You and Attorney General Pam Bondi released one video and said that there was nothing more to see.
06:12Your July memo says you uncovered more than 300 gigabytes of data and physical evidence, but that you had decided no further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted.
06:26That is a quote.
06:27I think what happened, Mr. Patel, is that suddenly you discovered that Donald Trump's name was all over these files.
06:34And you started a giant cover-up.
06:38So you are under oath, Mr. Patel.
06:41You just testified to Mr. Swalwell that you did not speak to the president about the Epstein files.
06:48To your knowledge, did Attorney General Pam Bondi speak to the president about what was in the Epstein files?
06:56I can't speak for Attorney General Pam Bondi.
06:58So to your knowledge, you don't have any information.
07:02The question was, do you have any knowledge?
07:04Do you have any knowledge?
07:05I can't speak for Attorney General.
07:06You are refusing to answer the question.
07:07So let me tell you that the Wall Street Journal reported that in May, Bondi told Trump that he was in the Epstein files.
07:16And at the same meeting, said that the DOJ did not plan to release the files.
07:21Yesterday, you testified to Senator Kennedy that there was, quote, no credible information that Epstein trafficked girls to anyone else.
07:29And that you have, quote, continuously and publicly asked the public to come forward with more information.
07:36And we'll look into it.
07:37Today, in response to Mr. Massey's question, you appear to say that the survivors were not credible.
07:47These are survivors.
07:49That's not at all what I said.
07:50Okay, great.
07:51I'm going to ask you this in a second.
07:52But let me tell you about the survivors.
07:53Okay, well, then don't lie about me.
07:54And let's bring them up here into the room.
07:57These are women who came to the Hill and testified that they were groomed and raped at the age of 14 and 16 years old.
08:06And they called to meet with the president and to meet with the FBI and to have people investigate their claims.
08:14Some of them have never testified before.
08:16If you are so interested in getting the public to submit any information, why have you not met with them?
08:22You said you haven't met with them.
08:23Have you met with them?
08:24I'll give you one more chance.
08:25My job as the FBI director is to invite all investigative leads.
08:29Is the answer yes or no to whether or not you met with these women who were sexually abused and raped?
08:37Any insinuation by you or any people on your side that I am not manhunting child predators and sex traffickers, just look at the stats.
08:45And you talk about cover-ups, man.
08:47Mr. Chairman, this is my time and I will take as much time as I want.
08:51Where were you during the Obama and Biden administrations when these so-called cover-ups were going on?
08:57Why did anyone in those administrations talk to any of these purported witnesses?
09:01I have welcome every single person to provide credible information.
09:05Time belongs to the gentlelady from Washington.
09:07And I'm going to take another couple of minutes.
09:08He's accused the witness of something.
09:10He's allowed to respond.
09:11That's how it works.
09:12Listen, he didn't even-
09:13Excuse me, Mr. Chairman.
09:14You have always been fair.
09:16But this is not fair.
09:17And I'm being fair.
09:17And you will get your-
09:18No, this is my time.
09:20And he said that the witnesses were not credible.
09:24I'm going to get an additional minute of time because that's how much time he took.
09:28You'll get a minute.
09:29You'll get some seconds.
09:30What we think is under five minutes.
09:32You don't get to demand how much time you get.
09:34That's not how it works.
09:35Mr. Patel, are the victims of the Jeffrey Epstein horrific trafficking ring, are they credible?
09:45Any person with information about ongoing sexual trafficking-
09:50I'm asking you if they're credible.
09:52Ma'am, I'm commenting on the evidence we have.
09:54We have routinely asked for people to come forward with more evidence, and we will look at it.
09:59And the evidence that we have was the same evidence that the Biden and Obama Justice Departments had.
10:04And they determined, not me, they determined that that information was not credible.
10:09Mr. Chairman, he's not letting me even ask my questions.
10:11You ask the questions, he gives an answer.
10:12You may not like what he says, but that doesn't mean you're going to interrupt him.
10:15He's not answering my questions.
10:16Mr. Chairman, could we restore the gentlelady 45 seconds so she can complete her question?
10:20We will give her additional 30 seconds, which is what I said earlier.
10:22I'm going to keep taking my time.
10:23You'll take the time that you get.
10:25You are not answering the question.
10:28The question is, are these women credible?
10:33It's a yes or no answer.
10:34I have answered the question.
10:36Well, what is the answer?
10:37I keep telling you, I'm the only FBI director that has welcomed new information in this case.
10:41This administration is the only one that has welcomed any new information in this case.
10:45Is there a yes or no to whether the victims are credible?
10:49Present new information.
10:51Are the victims credible or not?
10:54I'll tell you what happened in the last Trump administration.
10:56Are they credible or not?
10:57You can't even say.
10:58Victims credibly came forward.
10:59And you know what happened?
11:00President Trump authorized the indictments of Jeffrey Epstein.
11:04He called them a hoax.
11:05He called them a hoax.
11:06Not Biden.
11:07Not Obama.
11:08No one else.
11:09President Trump called the entire thing a democratic hoax.
11:10So I would like to ask you if you will meet with the women who were sexually abused and raped
11:26and groomed at the ages of 14 and 16 years old.
11:31Are you going to cover up?
11:33Are you going to continue to cover up for the rich and powerful men, including those that might be on this committee?
11:41I can yell to him, Mr. Chairman, but I don't want to yell above this.
11:44The time belongs to the gentleman from New Jersey.
11:47I appreciate the gentlelady yielding back.
11:49Are you going to allow them to testify, Mr. Patel?
11:51Go ahead, Mr. Andrew.
11:51Will you allow them to testify to you, Mr. Patel?
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