FBI Director Kash Patel faces questions on Epstein files at House hearing

The committee took up a motion by Rep. Jamie Raskin, the ranking member, to subpoena the CEOs of four major banks — JPMorgan, Bank of America, Bank of New York and Deutsche Bank — for reports about transactions by Epstein that the banks flagged to the government as suspicious.

Republicans moved to table, or kill, the motion, which passed by a vote of 20-19. Massie voted with Democrats against the motion to table. 

Raskin said earlier in the hearing that the reports detailed $1.5 billion worth of transactions in Epstein's various bank accounts. 

Jamie Dimon, the longtime CEO of JPMorgan Chase, was on Capitol Hill for an unrelated event earlier in the day and told reporters that his bank would comply with any order to produce records. "We regret any association with that man at all," Dimon said.

After nearly five hours in the witness chair, Jordan dismissed Patel from the hearing. Lawmakers moved on to other business.

"We appreciate the service you're providing the country, appreciate your testimony today and appreciate the fact that you did it for five hours straight," Jordan said. "That's amazing."

The Wall Street Journal reported in July that a book prepared for Epstein's 50th birthday in 2003 included a letter signed by Mr. Trump, who was friends with him in the 1990s and early 2000s. The Journal reported that the letter alluded to a "wonderful secret" and included an outline of a woman's body. The paper did not publish an image of the letter itself.

The president denied ever writing the letter, calling it "FAKE." He sued the Journal's publisher, parent company and Rupert Murdoch for defamation, seeking $20 billion in damages. 

Earlier this month, Epstein's estate produced the letter in a series of documents it gave to a House committee. The committee released it, as well as other pages from the book. As in July, the White House denied its authenticity, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt saying the president "did not draw this picture, and he did not sign it."

At the hearing, Rep. Jared Moskowitz, a Florida Democrat, asked Patel whether he would open an investigation into the Epstein estate "for putting out a fake document with the president's signature linking him to the world's largest pedophile ring." He cited the repeated denials from the president and others in the administration that Mr. Trump wrote the letter.

When Patel asked on what basis the investigation should be opened, Moskowitz responded, "They literally put out a fake document, according to the president, with a fake signature."

"It's a forgery of the president of the United States' signature," he said. "That's the basis."

"Sure, I'll do it," Patel responded. 

Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas railed against Patel during her allotted time, questioning his qualifications for the role and his handling of the Kirk shooting. She said that he should not remain in the job. 

"I will agree that I definitely take issue with a number of decisions that Donald Trump makes, especially when it comes to the people that he decides to appoint to very important positions including this one," Crockett said. "When I say that you are the least qualified FBI director in the history of the FBI, that is real."

Crockett said, "we just need to tell you, 'bye-bye,'" before going through a list of what she called Patel's failures.

"My colleagues have been real nice to you today and I applaud them, but I don't have the same demeanor," she said. "Because I know that multiple colleagues on this side of the aisle have faced death threats, in fact somebody tried to kill one of my colleagues, and frankly I don't know if this FBI, or under your leadership, if those people would have been caught."

Crockett added, "I don't have any confidence in you."

On the Kirk shooting, Crockett argued, "if it wasn't for parents deciding they were going to turn in their child, it seems like y'all wouldn't have got there, even though he literally confessed online."

The chairman chimed in on Patel's behalf after Crockett's time expired, defending Patel's resume and his record as FBI director. 

Pater later added, "I don't give a damn what they say about me as long as I'm succeeding in the mission."

"We're succeeding in the mission because the men and women of the FBI have never been empowered to do more work and to hit the streets harder than by President Trump's authorities and resources he's given us," Patel said. 

Patel, during questioning by Republican Rep. Kevin Kiley, noted a "sharp increase of known or suspected terrorists" entering the U.S. through its northern border with Canada. 

"Since becoming director, there has been a sharp decrease of border crossings for known or suspected terrorists from the southern border," Patel said. "But unfortunately, there has been a sharp increase of known or suspected terrorists entering through our northern border. And so what I'm trying to do is work with our northern border states and our interagency to tackle that problem. But it is an absolutely massive border that can't physically be sealed, so we're going to have to get creative and put more resources into that." 

Rep. Becca Balint, a Vermont Democrat, asked Patel about his plan to "turn down the temperature" in the aftermath of the killing of Kirk, along with the former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband earlier this year. 

Patel reiterated that "we're following the money," saying, "whatever attack you are describing — and they are all despicable, equally so — people need money to operate, people need money to conduct these attacks."

"So what we are doing is finding the people that supported this infrastructure system," Patel said.

Asked whether he would commit to following where the evidence goes, Patel said "absolutely."

"Americans want to know that whoever they are, whatever their political affiliation, that the response is going to be the same," Balint said, asking Patel if he would commit to being "a voice, right now, standing up to those voices in the administration that are adding, adding to the violent rhetoric right now."

Patel said "my voice will be through the investigations that the FBI conducts, and we will conduct them all lawfully and equally."

Democratic Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove of California asked Patel a series of questions about high-profile mass killings and the perpetrators' motivations. The FBI director seemed unfamiliar with the name of the gunman who murdered nine Black parishioners at a church in Charleston in 2015. The shooter, Dylann Roof, was convicted, sentenced to death and is currently awaiting execution.

"So Dylann Roof, who followed white supremacist propaganda, murdered nine Black parishioners in Charleston in 2015. Do you deny this?" Kamlager-Dove asked. 

"I'm sorry, Dylann Ruth?" Patel replied.

"Roof," the congresswoman said. 

"Roof? Can you give me some more information?" Patel asked.

"You're head of the FBI, you probably know this. If you don't know, that's fine," Kamlager-Dove said.

"You can give me a reminder. I've got a lot in front of me," Patel said.

"It was national news," Kamlager-Dove said, before moving on.

Patel did recall the murder of 11 Jewish worshippers in Pittsburgh in 2018 by Robert Bowers, another case the congresswoman mentioned. 

"I'm not saying the other thing didn't happen, I'm just asking for a little information," Patel said.

Rep. Joe Neguse, a Colorado Democrat, questioned Patel about the Evergreen High School shooting on Sept. 10. He asked about reports regarding the FBI investigating an account that may have been linked to the shooter ahead of the incident. He asked about the impediments to finding the unknown user.

"The impediments to finding these individuals… we had two huge tragedies in the span of days in this country, the school shooting in Evergreen, Colorado, being one of them." Patel said. "And proactively going out onto these social media platforms, which are so large, is our biggest impediment."

Patel referenced legislation that gives service providers the ability to report the information without liability, saying "we need that to continue, because while the FBI has so many people, and the police are great at doing it, there's just too many platforms to cover down on."

Democratic Rep. Lou Correa of California expressed concern that President Trump is proposing roughly $500 million in budget cuts to the FBI while Congress looks to beef up its own security spending. 

"The FBI, your job is to protect our citizens back home from those that would harm us," Correa said. "You have to find the needle in the haystack. Takes a lot of work, lot of resources."

Correa said he spoke with a local sheriff in California on Wednesday who was concerned about how federal cuts to local grants will affect his work. 

"You're the thin blue line," Correa said. "Can you do your job cutting $500 million from your budget?"

Patel insisted that the FBI is shifting resources around in a way that doesn't harm average Americans, and that each state is seeing an increase in staffing as the bureau disperses agents throughout the country. 

"Here's my concern," Correa said. "You're going to do well, you're doing more with less is what you're saying. Yet we're about to vote on a budget that has $88 million more to protect members of Congress, the executive branch, the Supreme Court. There's a contradiction here. Back on Main Street, we're saying you can do more with less, you can protect them with less money. Yet here in Washington, we're saying we need more money to protect members of Congress." 

Raskin moved to subpoena the CEOs of four major banks — Jamie Dimon of JP Morgan, Robin Vince of New York Mellon, Brian Moynihan of Bank of America and Christian Sewing of Deutsche Bank — to get the "suspicious transaction reports" that Raskin alleges are related to Epstein and their collaborators. Banks are required to file reports about suspicious activities by the clients with the federal government.

"These four banks have flagged to the government $1.5 billion in suspicious transactions related to the sex trafficking crimes and conspiracy" of Epstein and collaborators, Raskin said. 

The move came after Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, a Pennsylvania Democrat, questioned Patel about the reports. Patel repeatedly deferred to the Treasury Department on the questions. 

Rep. Jim Jordan, the committee's chairman, said the subpoena motion would be considered after the hearing has ended.

Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew suggested Democrats "didn't give a damn" about the Epstein files before President Trump took office.

"I've sat here, I've listened to this, I've watched it," Van Drew said. "And you know, my Democratic colleagues are so concerned now, Mr. Patel, all the sudden. Where were they last year? Where were they the year before? Where were they the year before that? Where was the last president in any of this?"

He continued: "Where was the concern for the victims then? Where was the moral righteousness then? Where was the outrage then? Where was the sense of duty then? Where was the desire for accountability then? Where was the urgency for justice then?"

Rep. Ted Lieu, a California Democrat, questioned Patel about a 2019 search of Epstein's Manhattan mansion, including a safe that reportedly included "lewd photographs of girls." 

Lieu asked Patel whether there are photographs of Mr. Trump "with girls of an uncertain age." Patel said no, noting that "that information would have been brought to light by multiple administrations and FBI investigators over the course of the last 20 years."

Lieu pushed back, saying "no one knew about the creepy birthday message that Donald Trump wrote to Jeffrey Epstein until the Wall Street Journal disclosed it." Mr. Trump has denied writing the birthday message.

"Maybe someone has it. Maybe the Epstein estate has it," Lieu said. 

Patel said, "you raise a great point."

The FBI director said "the estate of Jeffrey Epstein has a voluminous amount of information that they have not released before." He said the estate is under "no obligation to provide that material, even pursuant to a subpoena."

Patel has repeatedly said that the FBI and Justice Department have released all "credible" information in the Epstein case file. Some lawmakers have questioned why the FBI's summaries of interviews with victims, in which they apparently name others who they say victimized them, have not been released, given that framework.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a Democrat of Washington, picked up on that line of questioning.

"Today, in response to Mr. Massie's question, you appeared to say that the survivors were not credible. These are survivors —" she said.

"That's not at all what I said," Patel said.

"OK, great, I'm going to ask you this in a second, but let me tell you about the survivors —" Jayapal continued.

"Don't lie about me," Patel said. 

"— and let's bring them up here in the room. These are women who came to the Hill and testified that they were groomed and raped at the age of 14 and 16 years old and they called to meet with the president and to meet with the FBI and to have people investigate their claims," Jayapal said. "Some of them have never testified before. If you are so interested in getting the public to submit any information, why have you not met with them?"

"My job as the FBI director —"

"Is the answer yes or no that you met with these women who were sexually abused and raped?" Jayapal asked, her voice rising.

"Any insinuation that you or any people on your side that I am not manhunting child predators and sex traffickers, just look at the stats," Patel said. "And you talk about cover-ups, ma'am. Where were you during the Obama and Biden administrations when these so-called cover-ups were going on?"

After some back and forth over how much time Jayapal had left, she asked him directly if he thinks the victims are credible. 

"Ma'am, I'm commenting on the evidence we have. We have repeatedly asked for people to come forward with more evidence and we will look at it," Patel said.

Rep. Scott Fitzgerald, a Wisconsin Republican, questioned Patel about some of the details surrounding the shooting of Kirk last week. 

"I think for members of Congress, especially after Butler in Pennsylvania, it's just unimaginable that there could be some type of security breakdown prior to an event of that size, where somebody could access a rooftop," Fitzgerald asked.

Patel said the roof was "readily accessible" through an exterior stairwell and that "anyone could have gotten on it."

The FBI director noted that he's limited on what he can discuss due to the ongoing investigation and newly announced charges against the suspect. 

Asked about the shooter fleeing the scene and wrapping the rifle in a towel, Patel said the towel was found wrapped around the firearm in a wooded area next to the campus and has been processed for DNA, along with a screwdriver found on the roof. 

Asked whether the shooter acted alone, Patel said the FBI's investigation is "ongoing, and we are interviewing any of those individuals involved in that chat and other individuals in the area."

Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California focused his questions on what Patel has discussed with the president and Attorney General Pam Bondi about the files. 

"Did you ever tell Donald Trump that his name is in the files?" Swalwell asked.

"I have never spoken to President Trump about the Epstein files," Patel replied.

"Did you ever tell the attorney general that Donald Trump's name is in the Epstein files?" Swalwell asked. 

"The attorney general and I have had numerous discussions about the entirety of the Epstein files, and the reviews conducted by our team," Patel said. 

Swalwell repeated the question, and Patel again refused to answer directly. 

"During many conversations that the attorney general and I have had on the matter of Epstein, we have reviewed painstakingly who can be —" Patel answered. 

Swalwell said the question again, slowly. 

"Why don't you try spelling it out if you're going to mock me?" Patel countered. 

After another attempt, Patel said the question "has been asked and answered." 

"You've not answered it, and we'll take your evasiveness as a consciousness of guilt," Swalwell said.

GOP Rep. Chip Roy of Texas asked Patel if he's pursuing "all legal channels to follow the truth wherever it may leave" on what he claimed is an "organized effort" by the left to "advance criminal organizations." Roy  cited the assassination of Kirk, efforts in schools to advance a "transgender agenda" and what he called the organized targeting of conservatives, among other things. 

Patel said "we are following the money."

"We are following the money in every organization, and every person that is violating the federal code," he said, noting that "it doesn't matter what your background is."

The FBI director said the effort is occurring through the legal process, issuing subpoenas and using grand juries to follow the money.

"When we have results to recommend for prosecution to the Department of Justice we will do that," Patel said.

So far, Democrats on the committee have all asked Patel questions about the Epstein files, a notable shift from yesterday, when Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee peppered Patel with questions on a range of different topics.

In the House, a bipartisan push to force a vote on a bill that would require the Justice Department to release all the files in its possession is one member away from succeeding, which it will likely gain in the next few weeks with the expected election of an additional Democratic member. 

That stands in contrast to the Senate, where Republican leaders have near-total control over what comes to the floor. Last week, Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer deployed a rarely used procedural maneuver to force a vote on an amendment to call for the release of the files, but it failed.

Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican who has been leading the push in the House to release the Epstein files, questioned Patel about other individuals involved in Epstein's sex trafficking operations, citing so-called "302 forms," which FBI agents produce to summarize interviews during investigations.

"We know these people exist in the FBI files, files that you control," Massie said. "I don't know exactly who they are, but the FBI does."

Massie asked Patel if he's launched any investigations into any of the unnamed individuals, and whether he has seen the 302 documents. 

"Sir, I have asked my FBI agents to review the entirety of the Epstein files, and bring forth any credible information," Patel said. He noted that it's the assertion of two different U.S. attorneys' offices across multiple administrations that the 302 documents haven't produced credible statements that rise to probable cause.

Patel said he hasn't personally reviewed the 302 documents, but he said the FBI has. 

Rep. Steve Cohen, a Democrat from Tennessee, asked Patel if "any of the women that were victims" of Epstein who held a press conference on Capitol Hill recently contacted the FBI to give additional information. Patel responded that, to his knowledge, they had not. Cohen asked if there is a statute of limitations against rape of a minor, to which Patel said he believes there is not. 

"So since there's not a statute of limitations, should you not be interviewing those people who know who raped them and the names and the places and give you that information?" Cohen pressed. "That seems like that's a treasure trove of information." 

Patel said, "I couldn't agree with you more," and said the FBI has been asking people with information to come forward. 

GOP Rep. Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin questioned Patel about fentanyl and China's role. Patel noted that there's been a "massive reduction" in the amount of fentanyl coming into the U.S. 

Asked about China's role, Patel outlined how China produces precursors and cutting agents that are shipped overseas to produce fentanyl. So "they basically are the cooks, in terms of the ingredients," Patel said. 

The FBI director said he reached out to his counterpart in China to "engage in a conversation to say, 'hey, can we have a certain number of these precursor chemicals listed in China so that they become illegal and illegal to trade.'" He said that the bureau has also worked with counterparts in India and Guatemala, because he said "the Mexican drug cartels have gotten creative and instead of coming directly to America are going into these countries."

Rep. Zoe Lofgren, a Democrat from California, asked Patel how many times the president's name appears in the Epstein files. 

"I don't know," Patel ultimately responded, adding he doesn't know the "number of times, no." 

Lofgren also asked about any agents diverted from their duties to work on redacting the president's name in the Epstein files. 

"When you say diverted, you make it seem as if agents were pulled off what they do all the time," Patel said. "Agents at the FBI masterfully do double duty and triple duty. And because of the public's interest in this case, we flexed resources to make sure that we could answer the public signal demand. So do you want us to look through the material and provide it for you, or do you not want us to? Which is it?"

Rep. Dan Goldman, a New York Democrat, asked Patel whether President Trump appears "anywhere" in the Epstein files. 

Patel said the FBI has released where Mr. Trump's name is in the Epstein files, and "all credible information" that the FBI is legally allowed to release has been released. 

Goldman and Patel sparred over the court orders that, according to Patel, prohibit the FBI from releasing some information. Patel has not specified which court orders he is referring to.

"I'm asking about why you aren't releasing the full Epstein files, including the names of people who were involved in the sex ring that you promised to do before you became FBI director," Goldman said. 

Patel reiterated that, to his knowledge, there's no evidence in the files related to other individuals engaged with Epstein in the sex trafficking operations. 

Regarding witness interviews, Patel said "we are releasing as much as legally allowed."

"You are hiding the Epstein files," Goldman said, as his time expired. "You are part of the cover-up."

Patel said any allegations that he is part of the cover-up are "patently false."

Picking up on the line of questioning on the Epstein files, Rep. Tom McClintock, a California Republican, asked Patel how many of the Epstein files were released by the Biden administration.

"Zero," Patel replied.

McClintock then moved on to reductions in crime under Patel's leadership. He inquired about the changes from the Biden administration's approach.

"The simple answer is I'm letting good cops be cops," Patel said. "We're working with our state and local law enforcement, we're energizing our partnerships, we're bringing on more task force officers. When you have more cops on the streets, when you're losing ground-based intelligence, when you're not weaponizing law enforcement and focusing on D.C. and focusing on the rest of America, this is what happens."

Patel said "it is not a significant mind shift in terms of how we maneuver the FBI."
"They wanted to do this work since they signed up, we're just letting them," Patel said. 

Raskin pressed Patel on his past comments on an Epstein "black book" being under "direct control of the director of the FBI." Raskin asked why he hasn't released such a "black book" and the names of Epstein's co-conspirators. 

"The rolodex, which is what everybody colloquially refers to as the black book, has been released," Patel responded. 

"Everything that has been lawfully permitted to be released has been released," Patel said, adding that the Trump administration has "gone to court and everything we have direct control over has been lawfully released."

Raskin pressed Patel on whether the FBI has released all the records it's seized, such as emails and financial records. 

"We're talking about the evidence you've got," Raskin responded, adding, "You're not keeping your word." 

"I'm not going to break the law to satisfy your curiosity," Patel said, citing federal court orders that he said prohibits the release of other records.

Rep. Andy Biggs, an Arizona Republican, praised Patel, saying, "I appreciate the change in the FBI, in the tone, since you've been there." He defended the FBI director, calling aspects of Raskin's opening statement "projections of the ranking member himself."

Biggs asked Patel about the so-called "Arctic Frost" investigation and the assassination of Kirk, as Patel reiterated that it took 33 hours from the shooting to the suspect's arrest. Biggs called it "pretty swift," crediting Patel for directing the release of photos and videos to help in the investigation.

Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler recently announced his decision not to seek reelection, and noted at the hearing that Mr. Trump's reaction was to call him a "'psychotic nut job."

"Yesterday, I received a threatening note filled with antisemitic comments and hateful attacks that mimicked some of the same language used by the president," Nadler said. "I am sure many of us on this committee face similar threats everyday."

"We have seen political assaults on both the left and the right," Nadler continued. "The attack on Charlie Kirk, the attempted assassination of the president, the murder of the Democratic speaker of the Minnesota House, the assault on Paul Pelosi and the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, for example."

Nadler asked Patel if he agrees there is political violence "from both the left and the right."

"There is too much political violence," Patel responded. 

Nadler pressed him for a more direct answer. 

"There is too much political violence based on ideologies from either side," Patel responded. 

Rep. Darrell Issa, a California Republican, called Patel a "breath of fresh air," while questioning him about recent changes at the FBI. 

Patel outlined that 1,000 FBI personnel were deployed across the country, saying every state is getting a "plus up" of intelligence analysts and support staff.

"That is why the crime rates are going down in record numbers," Patel said. 

Issa lauded Patel for the bureau's transparency under his leadership.

"This is a breath of fresh air. This is the beginning of what we need," Issa said.

In an opening statement that echoed the one he delivered before senators on Tuesday, Patel said the first federal investigation into Epstein that resulted in a nonprosecution agreement in 2008 was the "original sin" in the case.

"The original case had a very limited search warrant, had a very limited search window, had a very limited investigative window. I was not there when those search warrants and that investigation was launched. I would not have done it that way. They were limited to only three or four years of investigations," Patel said, blaming the U.S. attorney in South Florida at the time, Alexander Acosta, for the plea deal that prohibited future investigations and "the collection of further material."

"We are working with Congress to produce, more than any other administration has, material on Epstein, and I welcome the challenge to tell us that we are not being as transparent as the law allows," Patel said.

Patel also praised the work of FBI agents across the country, saying every state is getting a "plus-up" of FBI agent staffing. Patel said the U.S. is on track to produce the lowest murder rate in modern history "by double digits." 

"Those are results not of mine," Patel said. "Those are results of the men and women of the FBI. If you want to criticize me, bring it on. But do not attack the brave leaders in the field." 

Continuing his lengthy opening statement, Raskin railed against Patel on the issue of the Epstein files, accusing him of building a "political FBI" to cover up information about the files. 

"Now we're seeing one very clear reason why you want to build a political FBI: The Epstein files," Raskin said. "You want an FBI blindly loyal to Trump, and to you as his enforcer, so you can continue your cover up of a massive international sex trafficking ring with more than 1,000 victims, betraying all of the survivors of the sexual violence."

Raskin alleged that Patel ordered hundreds of agents "from their regular, counterterrorism or drug trafficking duties, to work around the clock — sometimes sleeping at their desks — to conduct a frantic search to make sure Donald Trump's name and image were flagged and redacted wherever they appear." 

"In a few short months, how did you go from a crusader for accountability and transparency to the Epstein files to being a part of the conspiracy and cover-up?" Raskin said. 

Raskin lambasted Patel's leadership more broadly, saying he "used the powers of the FBI to serve Donald Trump and his agenda of partisan retribution."

"You've betrayed Jeffrey Epstein's victims and survivors, you've turned your back on the career law enforcement at the FBI, and as a result, you've left all of us less, less safe than before," Raskin said.

Raskin began his opening statement by praising Patel for being the first Indian-American to lead the FBI, but that was where the flattery stopped. Raskin said Patel's "primary qualification" for the job was his "unwavering loyalty to Trump."

"Unlike other directors, you had no work experience at the FBI, but you had made over a thousand political and media appearances in support of Trump's campaign," Raskin said. "We've learned how dangerous it is to name as director of the FBI a man who thinks of himself as a fairytale knight."

Raskin laid into Patel for his handling of the investigation into Kirk's killing. 

"When Charlie Kirk was assassinated, while his killer was still on the loose, you decided you didn't need to be at FBI headquarters in Washington to work with your team while the chaotic manhunt unfolded," Raskin said. "You spent your evening dining in a swanky Midtown Manhattan restaurant, and tweeting out false information that the subject of the shooting was in custody, a statement you had to retract one hour later. Your performance was so disturbing that even the MAGA base was alarmed."

Raskin continued: "The FBI might be able to survive your delusions of grandeur and the explosively volatile temper that was on display yesterday in the Senate. But the intractable problem is that you are running the FBI not as a law enforcement agency charged with keeping the American people safe, but as a political enforcement agency working directly for the president's vengeance campaign."

Raskin alleged that Patel has been "systematically purging" the FBI of its best agents. He said Patel forced out Mehtab Syed, the leader of the FBI's Salt Lake City field office, weeks before Kirk's shooting, "depriving the FBI of an experienced counterterrorism expert described by her colleagues as absolutely the best and legendary." 

"She would have led the FBI's manhunt, had she not been fired," Raskin said. 

Raskin said it's "impossible to overstate the destruction, chaos and demoralization" Patel has brought to the FBI. 

Jordan began his opening statement by going after Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff of California and former FBI Director James Comey, accusing them of leaking information to "sabotage and undermine President Trump's first term," referring to the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

The chairman credited Patel with facilitating the release of new information on the Russia investigation. And he touted Patel's work as FBI director more broadly, saying Patel "is getting the bad guys off the street."

"He's moved agents out of Washington, got the focus off of politics here in D.C., and is instead putting bad guys behind bars," Jordan said. 

Jordan said Patel has "given us information that Chris Wray didn't," while praising him for ending "the weaponization of the FBI."

Jordan gave Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the committee, a chance to say a few words about Kirk and his death. Raskin said "we all stand together categorically against political violence in America," also remembering the killing of Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman in June. 

"The whole country reacted with horror and shock to the brutal assassination of Charlie Kirk in cold blood. And there is never any warrant for political violence in America. And just as we all recoiled together at the shocking assassination of Melissa Hortman and others who died in that Minnesota attack, we all stand together categorically against political violence in America, and determined to end these cycles of political violence that have traumatized the country," Raskin said.

"Well said," Jordan said. 

Chairman Jim Jordan, an Ohio Republican, gaveled in the hearing shortly after 10 a.m., taking a moment to acknowledge the assassination of Kirk last week.

"This is the first occasion for the committee to get back together since the tragic death of Charlie Kirk," Jordan said, calling Kirk a "good man" and a "happy warrior."

Jordan noted that Kirk was shot while the committee was in a markup hearing a week prior. 

Authorities in Utah unveiled formal charges against the suspect in Kirk's shooting, Tyler Robinson, on Tuesday. He faces charges of aggravated murder, obstruction of justice, witness tampering and committing a violent offense in the presence of a child. Utah County District Attorney Jeff Gray said he intends to seek the death penalty.

A court filing supporting the charges shed new light on the evidence that investigators have gathered in the case. Robinson's mother told police that her son had become "more political" and had "started to lean more to the left" over the past year, becoming more "pro-gay and trans rights," Gray said.

Robinson's mother also said that Robinson had begun to date his roommate, who was transitioning from male to female. That relationship resulted in difficult conversations between Robinson and his family members, especially his father, who had different beliefs, Gray said.

The filing included text messages that Robinson allegedly exchanged with his roommate, in which Robinson appeared to confess to the killing. When the roommate asked why he had carried out the shooting, Robinson responded, "I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can't be negotiated out," the court filing stated.

Officials have said the roommate is fully cooperating with the investigation.

Kerry Breen and Faris Tanyos

During Tuesday's hearing, the FBI director confirmed that the bureau is investigating a group chat on the platform Discord that the suspect, Tyler Robinson, was allegedly involved in. Patel said "there are a number of individuals that are currently being investigated and interrogated and a number yet to be instigated and interrogated, specific to that chatroom," referring to the Discord group. The FBI director added that "it is very much an ongoing investigation." 

On the Epstein files, Patel also indicated that nothing in the department's files indicated that others were involved in Epstein's trafficking of minors.

"Now I am not saying that others were not trafficked, that others were not involved," Patel said, adding that "based on credible information, we have released all credible information, and the information that the Department of Justice and the FBI never releases is information on investigations that are not credible."

Most of the hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday remained cordial, but two exchanges ended in shouting matches with Democrats.

Democratic Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey harshly criticized Patel's handling of the Kirk shooting investigation and the Epstein files, telling him "I don't think you're long for your job." The exchange devolved into chaotic shouting, and Patel told Booker, "you are an embarrassment to the division of this country," adding, "your time is over."

In another exchange, Patel sparred with Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff of California when he was questioned about FBI terminations and the Epstein files. As the exchange escalated, Patel called Schiff "the biggest fraud to ever sit in the United States Senate."

"You are a disgrace to this institution and an utter coward," Patel said, adding that "you are a political buffoon at best."

Schiff replied that "the FBI director will always be nothing more than an internet troll."

Patel, a longtime ally of President Trump, was narrowly confirmed by the Senate in February, over opposition from all Democrats and two Republicans.

The 45-year-old began his career as a public defender in Florida. He went on to become a trial attorney in the Justice Department's National Security Division and a legal liaison to Joint Special Operations Command. In Mr. Trump's first administration, Patel served in intelligence and defense roles, and held a position on the National Security Council and as chief of staff to the secretary of defense.

Patel came to lead the FBI after former Director Chris Wray resigned in the face of Mr. Trump's pledge to fire him before the end of his 10-year-term that was set to end in 2027. The FBI had long been a target of the president's ire, especially after agents executed a court-authorized search warrant at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida in 2023.