FBI chief Patel to appear before lawmakers demanding

17/9/2025 18:37

FBI Director Kash Patel will face a U.S. House of Representatives panel for a second day of questioning by lawmakers, who are expected to focus on his handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case.



Patel broadly defended his seven-month tenure as head of the FBI and his handling of the Epstein probe during a Senate committee, pushing back against Democrats who criticized his leadership of the most prominent U.S. law enforcement agency.



Now it's the House's turn with a hearing before the Judiciary Committee, which includes Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, a harsh critic of the Trump administration's handling of the Epstein probe and co-author of legislation to require more disclosures about it.



Patel and other top Department of Justice officials have faced criticism over the department's decision in July to end its review of investigative files related to Epstein, a disgraced financier and convicted sex offender who died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.