In a striking exchange before Congress, Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) directly questioned FBI Director Kash Patel about the official narrative surrounding Jeffrey Epstein’s death. Kennedy’s pointed inquiry, whether Epstein truly died by suicide, reflects persistent concerns among lawmakers and citizens alike about the integrity of investigations involving high-profile individuals with deep political and financial ties.
This week, Patel testified on various topics before the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies. However, Kennedy’s questions about Epstein’s death caught the most attention.
“Did Jeffrey Epstein hang himself or did somebody kill him?” Kennedy asked.
“Senator, I believe he hung himself in a cell in the Metropolitan Detention Center,” Patel responded.
Kennedy pressed for transparency, asking if all information about Epstein’s death would be released. Patel responded that the matter is currently being reviewed in coordination with the Department of Justice. The FBI Director said he hopes to have those files soon.
“Like before I die?” Kennedy asked Patel, who said, “Senator… we are, we’ve been working on that and we are doing it in a way that protects victims and also doesn’t put out into the ether information that is irrelevant for production for the public, such as CSAM [child sexual abuse material].”
Epstein, who had previously pleaded guilty to sex-related offenses in 2008, died by apparent suicide in 2019 in a New York City jail cell while in custody awaiting trial on a new set of federal charges.
The exchange comes after Attorney General Pam Bondi told reporters that the FBI was still reviewing “tens of thousands” of videos in the possession of Epstein, some of which she described as “child porn” and “pretty sick.”
In February, Bondi released the initial set of documents related to Epstein’s activities, but noted that the large volume of files the FBI must review is causing delays in releasing additional materials.