The director of the FBI, Kash Patel, began two days of interrogation on Tuesday of the Congress Committees on his mandate so far. He also faces questions about the murder of the conservative activist and influential Charlie Kirk last week.
In his appearance before the Judicial Committee of the Senate on Tuesday, Patel addressed his management of Kirk’s investigation, something he faced criticism after sharing on social networks at a time that a suspect was in custody, but then he had to go back an hour and a half later.
The Dick Durbin classification member, a Democrat, criticized Patel during his opening comments on Tuesday, saying that Patel caused “mass confusion” in his positions about Kirk’s murder. Patel remained in his performance, promoting the fact that Kirk’s alleged shooter was caught in less than 36 hours.
The director of the FBI, Kash Patel, appears before the Judicial Committee of the Senate for his first supervision hearing, on September 16, 2025, at the Washington Capitol.
Julia DeMaree Nikhinson/AP
Patel said he ordered the authorities to publish the photo of the suspect, Tyler Robinson, 22, in the Kirk shooting. Kirk was killed in Utah on Wednesday and Robinson was arrested after his father acknowledged him in photographs published by the authorities, Utah governor Spencer Cox said Friday. His father told Robinson to be delivered, with the 22 -year -old initially saying no, but then changing his mind, authorities said.
Patel argues that this only happened because he ordered “against all the recommendations for the application of the law,” as he said on Saturday, the launch of improved videos and photos of the suspect.
“We cannot do our job without the public and credible reports in the media,” Patel said. “And that’s why Tyler Robinson is in custody today about to face charges.”
Senator Dick Durbin speaks as FBI director Kash Patel appears before the Senate Judicial Committee for his first supervision hearing, on Tuesday, September 16, 2025, in the Washington Capitol.
Julia DeMaree Nikhinson/AP
Patel addressed the criticisms that faced how he handled the investigation in “Fox & Friends “Monday morning.
“I was telling the world what the FBI was doing while we were doing. [is] management.”
For his part, President Donald Trump is standing behind Patel. He asked his thoughts about Patel’s performance on Tuesday morning, Trump said he supports Patel and has “confidence in everyone in the administration.”
The director of the Federal Investigation Office, Kash Patel, testifies to the Senate Judicial Committee in the Hart Senate Office building in Capitol Hill, on September 16, 2025 in Washington.
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Patel faces questions about a lot of other topics while he has been in charge of the FBI, including the management of Jeffrey Epstein files.
The Trump administration has been dealing with the setback he received from Maga’s supporters for his decision not to release more materials related to Epstein’s research, the rich financial and sentenced sexual offender who died from suicide in jail in 2019.
The director of the Federal Investigation Office, Kash Patel, attests to the Judicial Committee of the Senate, in Capitol Hill, on September 16, 2025 in Washington.
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It is rumored that Epstein, whose private property of the island was in the virgin islands of the United States, maintained a “list of customers” of celebrities and politicians, that the right -wing influencers have accused the authorities without foundation of the hiding place.
The Department of Justice and the FBI announced in July that they had not found evidence that Epstein maintained a list of clients after several senior officials such as Patel, before joining the Administration, had accused the government of protecting information about the case.
Patel blamed the former prosecutor and secretary of the United States, Alex Acosta, who initially supervised Epstein’s investigation. Acosta resigned in the midst of the controversy on his role in a 2008 guilt agreement with Epstein and defended his decision, saying that his goal “was simple” and included putting Epstein after bars.
“I am here to testify that the original sin in the case of Epstein was the way in which Mr. Acosta initially brought it in 2006. The original case involved a very limited search warrant or a set of search orders, and did not take so much research material that he should have taken,” Patel said. “If I were the director of the FBI, then it would not have happened.”
Patel testified that Epstein was not an FBI informant as some have stated.
