FBI Director Kash Patel attended a hearing at the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday (September 16) to answer questions regarding a variety of issues, including the case of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk being attacked, FBI budget and personnel deployment, as well as investigations related to the Epstein sexual abuse case.
During the hearing, several Democratic senators clashed with Patel, leading to tense and heated exchanges at times.
Patel confirmed that the FBI is currently investigating over 1,700 domestic terrorism cases, with a significant portion involving “nihilist violent extremists”, individuals who commit violence out of deep-seated hatred for society. He mentioned that the number of new cases filed so far this year has increased by about 300% compared to the same period in 2024.
Senator Josh Hawley inquired whether the FBI is investigating cases involving “synthetic child sexual abuse material” produced by AI chatbots, which are generated using real children’s photos to create pornographic content.
Patel responded that the FBI treats AI-generated materials of this nature as real child sexual abuse material and handles them seriously. He also mentioned that the FBI has conducted over 1000 investigations into global online extremist networks, such as 764 organizations, that specifically target children for criminal activities.
He added that chatbots and AI generation are being combined to accelerate the spread of criminal activities.
Facing questions from Democratic lawmakers about alleged politicization of the FBI during the second Trump administration, Patel denied any dismissals being related to cases involving Trump or the events of January 6, 2021. He stated that dismissals were not related to specific cases and did not come from White House recommendations.
Regarding whether there were instructions from the White House or others to “target specific political groups or non-profit organizations” after Kirk was attacked, Patel responded that there were none and he did not have a “hit list” provided by others, stating that his list comes from FBI colleagues.
Democratic Senator Chris Coons questioned the significant deployment of manpower by the FBI to support federal immigration enforcement and street crime, expressing concerns that it may weaken national security efforts. Coons also voiced concerns about budget cut proposals made by Patel to Congress.
Patel responded that even with additional funding, the agency cannot expand overnight, and they are currently evaluating where additional personnel are most needed nationwide and adjusting training requirements.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham expressed support for FBI involvement in immigration enforcement and queried whether more personnel are needed.
Patel stated he is “satisfied” with the current personnel reallocation and cited efforts to strengthen deployments, including in states like South Carolina.
During the hearing, two Democratic lawmakers engaged in heated exchanges with Patel, escalating into arguments. Democratic Senator Cory Booker criticized Patel for shifting the FBI’s focus to “Trump’s immigration enforcement agenda” and hinted that he would be “fired soon.”
Patel retorted that such baseless attacks do not contribute to national unity. The two continued to talk over each other, prompting Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley to intervene to maintain order.
Another Democratic Senator, Adam Schiff, initially questioned whether dismissals at the FBI were politically motivated, which Patel denied. Schiff then shifted the inquiry to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, asking about the transfer of Ghislaine Maxwell, a convicted co-conspirator in the Epstein case, to a minimum-security prison.
Patel stated that it was a decision by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, while Schiff questioned the credibility of the statement, leading to heated exchanges between the two. Patel emphasized that he does not get involved in the daily details of prisoner movements.
Regarding the Epstein criminal investigation that has garnered public attention, Patel blamed the case’s “original sin” on the mishandling by former federal prosecutor and later Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta in 2006, particularly for having too narrow of a scope in search warrants and the non-prosecution agreement (NPA) resulting in some evidence not being made public.
In response to inquiries from Grassley about whether Epstein had provided information to American or foreign intelligence agencies, Patel stated he can only speak for the FBI and explicitly stated that “Epstein was not an FBI informant.”
Republican Senator John Kennedy pressed Patel on whether Epstein trafficked underage girls to others, to which Patel replied, “There is no credible information, none.” He added, “If there was, I’d have brought charges yesterday. The information we have remains limited.”
The article titled “5 Takeaways From FBI Director Kash Patel’s Senate Testimony” was published in the English edition of The Epoch Times.