FBI director’s congressional testimony sparks heated exchanges

The Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony on Tuesday from FBI Director Kash Patel on the Epstein files and the bureau’s recent employment shakeups, including firings and forced retirements. The more than four-hour hearing, which aimed to assess Patel’s leadership of the federal agency, was marked by shouting matches and partisan clashes, including accusations that Patel questioned agents on who they voted for and used polygraph machines to test loyalty.

Committee Chairman Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, opened the hearing by praising Patel’s commitment to transparency and his work to restore whistleblowers punished under past administrations. Grassley planned to release new files that he said documented political weaponization and misconduct under the Biden-era FBI. He said Patel inherited an FBI fraught with political bias but has made improvements in his short time in office.

By contrast, Ranking Member Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., described Patel as perhaps the most partisan FBI director in U.S. history. Patel launched an unprecedented, partisan purge of the FBI that is damaging national security, Durbin claimed. He accused Patel of compiling an “enemies list” of public servants and reducing the agency’s credibility by reducing required agent training. At least 18 of the 53 special agents in charge of FBI field offices have been removed, along with several other senior officials, Durbin said. The ranking member further claimed that Patel instructed agents to comb the Epstein records for mentions of President Donald Trump before ultimately releasing an unsigned memo stating the client list didn’t exist.

What did Patel say? The director began by reciting the bureau’s 33-hour timeline in the manhunt for Charlie Kirk’s assassin. He also offered a statistical highlight reel of the FBI’s achievements since he took office in late February. Over 23,000 violent criminals have been arrested, over 6,000 illegal guns were taken off the streets, and more than 4,700 child victims were located, Patel said. Another 1,500 child predators were also arrested, along with more than 350 members of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan criminal organization, and four of the FBI’s Top 10 fugitives, he added. The bureau was also on track to achieve the lowest murder rate in modern American history, Patel said.

In brief:

• Patel emphasized his commitment to political neutrality within the FBI and insisted all recent departmental changes were based on agents’ merit and ability to uphold their constitutional duties. He denied questioning employees about their voting histories.

• Patel promised to release all the Epstein files he was legally allowed to, but repeatedly noted many of them remain sealed under court order. He also confirmed that Epstein was never an FBI asset.

• The bureau had always used polygraphs to identify personnel leaking sensitive information, Patel said. He refused to discuss private discussions with personnel during polygraph exams, noting some were also related to ongoing investigations.

• Patel pushed back on Durbin’s claims of reducing agent requirements. The bureau planned to remove the college degree requirement to allow career cops the ability to apply for FBI positions, Patel explained. He added that to the so-called reduction in training that Durbin had spoken of was the FBI’s new bridge program that allowed fellow federal employees from agencies like the DEA or the Secret Service to transfer to the FBI.