Topline
FBI Director Kash Patel hit back Saturday against reports of internal drama between the Justice Department and FBI over the decision not to release any more files on disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, with Patel decrying “conspiracy theories” and suggesting he’d remain at the FBI as multiple reports suggest his deputy director Dan Bongino may resign.
FBI Director Kash Patel appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee for his confirmation hearing … More
Key Facts
Patel wrote on X the “conspiracy theories just aren’t true, never have been” and vowed his commitment to remaining in the Trump administration, writing, “It’s an honor to serve the President of the United States @realDonaldTrump — and I’ll continue to do so for as long as he calls on me.”
His post came amid multiple reports that Patel and Bongino, the FBI’s deputy director, had butted heads with Attorney General Pam Bondi over the DOJ’s memo Monday saying the agency will not release further documents on Epstein, which also said an Epstein “client list” does not exist and asserted the financier died by suicide in 2019.
The memo has sparked widespread backlash among Trump’s right-wing base, as top conservative commentators have called for Bondi to resign or be fired, and right-wing commentator Laura Loomer claimed Patel and Bongino are “LIVID” with Bondi over the memo and her “lack of transparency” regarding the Epstein files.
CNN reports Patel was involved in a meeting this week with Bongino and Bondi over the “major clash” between the FBI and DOJ over how to handle the Epstein documents, and CNN, Axios and Loomer have all reported Bongino may resign over the drama.
It’s unclear whether Patel’s reference to “conspiracy theories” in his post Saturday referred to the allegations of infighting between the DOJ and FBI, or to the conspiracy theories regarding Epstein, which Patel repeatedly pushed himself before joining the FBI.
Patel is the second top DOJ official to deny reports of internal strife at the agency, after Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche claimed Friday Patel and Bongino had personally signed off on the Epstein memo, writing, “The suggestion by anyone that there was any daylight between the FBI and DOJ leadership on this memo’s composition and release is patently false.”
What To Watch For
It’s still unclear whether Bongino will resign from the FBI as he’s reportedly considering, with sources telling CNN Friday the deputy director had ultimately not made up his mind. It also remains to be seen what will happen with Bondi, as Trump’s base continues to revolt against the attorney general. President Donald Trump—who knew Epstein but has not been accused of any wrongdoing in connection to him—has not expressed any desire to fire Bondi in recent days and has downplayed the Epstein files, saying it was “unbelievable” that reporters asked about the issue during his Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. “I mean, I can’t believe you’re asking a question on Epstein at a time like this, where we’re having some of the greatest success and also tragedy with what happened in Texas,” Trump told reporters. “It just seems like a desecration.”
Tangent
Bondi appeared to try and curry favor with figures on the far-right Saturday, announcing the DOJ was dropping charges against a plastic surgeon accused of fraud in connection to COVID-19 vaccines. The attorney general singled out Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., for pushing for the doctor’s freedom, with Bondi saying the dismissal “would not have been possible” without Greene and praising her as “a warrior for Dr. Moore and for ending the weaponization of government.” Greene has publicly criticized the DOJ’s Epstein memo in recent days and continued to call for documents to be released, sharing allegations that the documents were being “suppressed” on Thursday and writing, “RELEASE THE EPSTEIN CLIENT LIST!!!!” The attorney general also fired several of the president’s perceived enemies this week, including at least nine prosecutors and other employees who were involved with federal criminal cases against Trump.
What Has Kash Patel Said About Epstein?
Prior to joining the Trump administration, Patel repeatedly pushed for the Epstein files to be publicly released and criticized the government for withholding documents, claiming in a Dec. 2023 podcast appearance that the Biden administration was withholding documents “because of who’s on that list.” “You don’t think that Bill Gates is lobbying Congress night and day to prevent the disclosure of that list?” Patel said, adding, “Put on your big boy pants, and let us know who the pedophiles are.” The FBI director took a different tone in May, however, when Patel and Bongino—who also previously pushed conspiracy theories related to Epstein—rebutted the theory that Epstein was murdered in prison, saying in an interview they confirmed the financier died by suicide. “Listen, they have a right to their opinion,” Patel told FOX Business host Maria Bartiromo about those who believe the conspiracy theory, “but as someone who has worked as a public defender, as a prosecutor who’s been in that prison system, who’s been in the Metropolitan Detention Center, who’s been in segregated housing, um, you know a suicide when you see one, and that’s what that was.” The FBI director still suggested he wanted the government to release its files on the Epstein case, however, telling Fox News in May, “We are diligently working on that” but “it takes time to go through years of investigations.”
Key Background
Epstein allegedly abused more than 100 women between 2002 and 2018, assembling an alleged network of underage women who were allegedly abused by him and associates. He was indicted in federal court in 2019 for sex trafficking and died in prison later that year. The financier’s crimes have continued to garner widespread attention, particularly due to his links to numerous well-known figures like Trump, Bill Clinton and Prince Andrew, and many following the case have hoped for documents like a “client list” that would detail Epstein’s connections—even as there’s no indication such a list exists. (Like Trump, Clinton has not been accused of any wrongdoing.) The Trump administration initially promised to be transparent about the Epstein files in the government’s possession, but has faced criticism over the rollout, with Bondi releasing information in February that was already largely public. The attorney general previously claimed more documents would be released, but did not give any timeline for doing so, and publicly blamed the FBI for allegedly withholding thousands of documents from her office. FBI officials reportedly were also directed to prioritize processing Epstein documents in March.
