FBI Director Kash Patel will appear before the Senate on Tuesday to answer tough questions about how he has handled two major controversies: the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and the old case involving convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, especially Democrats, are also expected to press Patel about a reported effort inside the FBI to remove agents who are believed to be disloyal to President Donald Trump.
Patel has been under heavy criticism from both Republicans and Democrats since Trump appointed him to lead the FBI, which is the nation’s most important law enforcement agency.
Many Trump supporters were angered when Patel released a memo in July that officially ended the FBI’s investigation into Epstein. Epstein, a wealthy financier with many powerful friends, died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while waiting for trial on charges of sex trafficking underage girls.
In Patel’s memo, the FBI and the Justice Department concluded that Epstein had taken his own life. The memo also stated that Epstein had not blackmailed any famous people and that no so-called “client list” existed.
This decision upset many of Trump’s strongest supporters. They have long believed that Epstein’s death was part of a cover-up to protect influential people in politics and Hollywood, especially Democrats. At the same time, Trump’s own past friendship with Epstein has often been used by Trump’s political opponents, who accuse him of trying to hide the truth.
Patel also came under fire for his handling of the investigation into the killing of Charlie Kirk, the founder of the conservative youth group Turning Point USA. Kirk was assassinated while giving a speech at a university in Utah last week.
Shortly after the attack, Patel announced that the FBI had arrested a suspect. However, only two hours later, he reversed his statement, saying that the suspect had been released and the search was still ongoing. The real suspect, Tyler Robinson, was not captured until more than a day later, about 33 hours after the shooting.
Robinson is expected to be officially charged with Kirk’s murder in Provo, Utah, on Tuesday.
This series of missteps has fueled doubts about Patel’s leadership. Conservative activist Christopher Rufo, for example, asked on social media if Republicans should reconsider whether Patel is the right person to run the FBI.
According to Fox News, Patel’s relationship with Attorney General Pam Bondi has grown tense, although he still has the support of the White House for now.
Since returning to office in January, President Trump has aggressively targeted people he sees as enemies. This includes removing government officials he views as disloyal, cutting funds from universities, and going after FBI agents and law firms that worked on cases against him in the past.
As part of these actions, Patel has dismissed dozens of FBI agents. Among them were three former senior officials who recently filed a lawsuit against him. They argue they were unfairly fired in what they describe as a“campaign of revenge” because they were not seen as politically loyal enough.
In their lawsuit, the former agents accuse Patel of breaking the law and putting politics above the FBI’s duty to protect the American people.
Patel will face sharp questioning from the Senate panel on Tuesday. Then, on Wednesday, he will also testify before the House Judiciary Committee, where the scrutiny is expected to continue.
