Jayapal Questions FBI Director on Epstein Victims
On Wednesday, Washington State Representative Pramila Jayapal expressed frustration during a hearing with FBI Director Kash Patel, focusing on the victims of the late Jeffrey Epstein.
A bipartisan group had held a press conference on September 3 with ten Epstein victims, advocating for a Congressional vote to release all documents related to him. At the House Judiciary Committee hearing, Jayapal urged that Patel meet with Epstein’s victims.
“Let’s have them speak about their experiences. They came forward and testified about being groomed and abused at ages 14 and 16. They met with the president and brought their claims to the FBI,” Jayapal stated. “Some of them have never testified before. If you want the public to provide information, why haven’t you met them? You said you haven’t met them. Have you ever engaged with them?”
Patel avoided a direct response, prompting Jayapal to become increasingly vocal. “Does the answer change depending on whether you’ve spoken to these survivors?” she pressed.
She continued, pointing out the apparent hypocrisy in claims about cover-ups regarding “your side,” and questioned the lack of communication with the victims during the Obama and Biden administrations. “Why didn’t anyone in those administrations talk to them? I’m willing to share information with everyone,” she added.
When Jayapal inquired about the reliability of Epstein’s victims, Patel once again sidestepped the question. She repeated her question, and he responded with a vague remark about the evidence submitted. “We’ve asked for more evidence, and we see that,” he stated, referencing what had been previously assessed by both the Biden and Obama administrations.
Jayapal contended that Patel wasn’t adequately addressing her questions. “I have the information. You just don’t like what I’m saying,” he replied, reiterating that his administration was the only one welcoming new evidence in the case.
Despite Patel’s attempts to conclude the discussion, Jayapal demanded straightforward answers. As her time ran out, Chairman Jim Jordan attempted to move on, but she persisted, asking, “Are you going to continue covering for wealthy men, including those on this committee? Or will you let them testify?”
An Epstein victim told NBC News’ Harry Jackson on September 3 that he had no knowledge of former President Donald Trump being involved in inappropriate activities related to Epstein. On September 2, the Oversight Committee released over 33,000 pages of documents concerning Epstein.
