美国联邦调查局主任卡什·帕特尔(Kash Patel)周二在参议院司法委员会听证会上露面时，面临有关保守派活动人士和有影响力的查理·柯克(Charlie Kirk)上周被暗杀的问题，包括其他人可能参与其中。
帕特尔在国会山举行的为期两天的听证会上首次露面，他谈到了他对柯克调查的处理——他在社交媒体上分享了一名嫌疑人被拘留的消息后受到了批评，但一个半小时后不得不收回。
民主党资深成员迪克·德宾在周二的开场白中抨击了帕特尔，称帕特尔在他关于柯克被杀的帖子中引发了“大规模混乱”。帕特尔支持他的表现，吹捧柯克的嫌疑枪手在不到36小时内被抓获的事实。
帕特尔说，他指示当局公布了柯克枪击案嫌疑人、22岁的泰勒·罗宾逊的照片。柯克周三在犹他州被杀，罗宾逊被逮捕他父亲在照片中认出他后犹他州州长斯潘塞·考克斯星期五说，他被当局释放了。官员们说，他的父亲告诉罗宾逊去自首，这位22岁的年轻人起初说不，但后来改变了主意。
帕特尔认为，这只是因为他下令“反对所有执法建议，”正如他周六在X上所说，发布了嫌疑人的视频和增强照片。
帕特尔说:“没有美国公众和媒体的可信报道，我们无法完成我们的工作。”。"这就是泰勒·罗宾逊今天被拘留并面临指控的原因."
帕特尔谈到了他在“福克斯”节目中处理调查的方式所面临的批评《老友记》周一早上。
“我告诉全世界，美国联邦调查局在做什么，我们也在做什么。我继续做下去。我向任何人挑战，看谁能找到一个更透明、更愿意与媒体合作、处理高调案件或美国联邦调查局正在处理的任何案件的导演。”
在线消息平台Discord证实了有关罗宾逊上周被拘留前大约两个小时的报道，涉嫌枪手在该平台上向一小群朋友发布了消息，称“嘿，伙计们，我有一个坏消息要告诉你们……昨天在UVU的是我。我对这一切感到抱歉。”
帕特尔在听证会上谈到了不和谐的信息，称美国联邦调查局正在调查“与罗宾逊的不和谐聊天有关的任何人和每个人”。帕特尔说，“远远不止”有20人与罗宾逊的不和有关，“我们正在追查他们。...每一个人。”
“目前有一些人正在接受调查和审讯，还有一些人尚未接受调查和审讯，具体到那个聊天室。因此，我们正在进行调查，”帕特尔说，并补充说，其他人可能参与其中。
唐纳德·特朗普总统似乎支持帕特尔。当被问及他对帕特尔周二早上的表现有何看法时，特朗普表示，他支持帕特尔，他“对政府中的每个人都有信心”。
爱泼斯坦调查
帕特尔在执掌美国联邦调查局期间，还面临着许多其他问题的质疑，包括对杰弗里·爱泼斯坦档案的处理。
特朗普政府一直在处理MAGA支持者对其决定不公布更多与对富有的金融家和被定罪的性犯罪者Epstein的调查有关的材料的反弹，EP stein于2019年在狱中自杀身亡。
爱泼斯坦的私人岛屿庄园位于美国维尔京群岛，长期以来一直有传言称，他保留了一份名人和政治家的“客户名单”，右翼影响人士毫无根据地指责当局隐瞒这份名单。
司法部和美国联邦调查局在7月份宣布，他们没有发现任何证据表明爱普斯坦保留了一份客户名单，此前帕特尔等几位高级官员在加入政府之前，曾指控政府隐瞒有关案件的信息。
帕特尔直截了当地指责前美国司法部长和劳工部长亚历克斯·阿科斯塔，他最初监督了爱泼斯坦的调查。阿科斯塔辞职了在对他在2008年与爱泼斯坦和为他的决定辩护他说他的目标“很简单”，包括把爱泼斯坦关进监狱。
“我在这里作证，爱泼斯坦案中的原罪是2006年阿科斯塔先生最初提出的。帕特尔说:“最初的案件只涉及非常有限的搜查令，或者一组搜查令，并没有带走它应该带走的那么多调查材料。“如果我是美国联邦调查局导演，那就不会发生这种事。”
帕特尔作证说，爱泼斯坦并不像有些人声称的那样是美国联邦调查局的线人。
帕特尔与民主党参议员争论
帕特尔和民主党参议员亚当·希夫在关于爱泼斯坦调查的问题上进行了紧张的交流，其间帕特尔称这位加州参议员是“政治小丑”。
帕特尔称希夫是“美国参议院有史以来最大的骗局。”
“你是这个机构的耻辱，是一个彻头彻尾的懦夫，”帕特尔补充道。
席夫回击道，两人互相咆哮:“你可以让一个网络巨魔成为美国联邦调查局导演，但(他)永远只是一个网络巨魔。”
民主党参议员科里·布克和帕特尔在布克问题上展开了一场唇枪舌剑的比赛，指责帕特尔让国家变得不安全。
“我相信你让我们的国家变得越来越弱，越来越不安全，”布克告诉帕特尔，然后他详细讲述了他认为帕特尔作为美国联邦调查局领导人的失败，包括几名美国联邦调查局高层领导人被驱逐，没有任何解释。
“虚假信息的咆哮不会让这个国家团结起来，”帕特尔回击布克。
这两个人互相喊叫，直到查克·格拉斯利主席出面干预，让帕特尔作出回应。
下一个发言的参议员特德·克鲁兹打趣道:“过去要看戏剧，你必须去肯尼迪中心，现在显然你只需要去参议院司法委员会，就可以看到我们的参议院民主党人痛斥美国联邦调查局导演。”
Kash Patel says others under investigation in Charlie Kirk shooting probe
FBI Director Kash Patel faced questions about the assassination of conservative activist and influencer Charlie Kirk last week -- including that other people could be involved -- when he appeared before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday.
In his appearance, his first in two days of hearings on Capitol Hill, Patel addressed his handling of the Kirk investigation -- something he faced criticism for after he shared on social media at one point that a suspect was in custody, but then had to backtrack an hour and a half later.
Ranking Member Dick Durbin, a Democrat, slammed Patel during his opening remarks on Tuesday, saying Patel sparked "mass confusion" in his posts about Kirk's killing. Patel stood by his performance, touting the fact that Kirk's suspected shooter was caught in less than 36 hours. FBI Director Kash Patel appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee for his first oversight hearing, Sept. 16, 2025, at the Capitol in Washington.
Patel said he directed authorities to release the photo of the suspect, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, in the Kirk shooting. Kirk was killed in Utah on Wednesday and Robinson was apprehendedafter his father recognized him in photographsreleased by authorities, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said on Friday. His father told Robinson to turn himself in, with the 22-year-old initially saying no, but later changing his mind, officials said.
Patel contends this only happened because he ordered "against all law enforcement recommendations," as he said on X on Saturday, the release of video and enhanced photos of the suspect.
"We cannot do our job without the American public and credible reporting in the media," Patel said. "And that's why Tyler Robinson is in custody today about to face charges."
Patel addressed criticism that he has faced for how he handled the investigation on "Fox& Friends" on Monday morning.
"I was telling the world what the FBI was doing as we were doing it. I continue to do it. I challenge anyone out there to find a director who has been more transparent and more willing to work the media with high profile cases or any cases that the FBI [is] handling."
The online messaging platform, Discord confirmed reports that about two hours before Robinson was taken into custody last week, the alleged shooter posted messages to a small group of friends on the platform that said, "Hey guys, I have bad news for you all … It was me at UVU yesterday. im sorry for all of this."
Patel addressed the Discord message during the hearing, saying that the FBI is investigating "anyone and everyone involved in that Discord chat" with Robinson. Patel said there are "a lot more" than 20 people linked to Robinson on Discord, "and we're running them all down. ... Every single one."
"There are a number of individuals that are currently being investigated and interrogated, and a number yet to be investigated and interrogated, specific to that chat room. So we are very much in our ongoing posture of investigation," Patel said, adding that other people could be involved.
President Donald Trump appears to be standing behind Patel. Asked for his thoughts on Patel's performance so far Tuesday morning, Trump said he supports Patel and that he has "confidence in everyone in the administration."
The Epstein investigation
Patel is facing questions on a host of other issues while he has been at the helm of the FBI, including the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files.
The Trump administration has been dealing with blowback it received from MAGA supporters for its decision to not release more materials related to the investigation into Epstein, the wealthy financier and convicted sex offender who died by suicide in jail in 2019.
Epstein, whose private island estate was in the U.S. Virgin Islands, has long been rumored to have kept a "client list" of celebrities and politicians, which right-wing influencers have baselessly accused authorities of hiding.
The Justice Department and FBI announced in July that they had found no evidence that Epstein kept a client list after several top officials like Patel, before joining the administration, had themselves accused the government of shielding information regarding the case.
Patel squarely blamed former U.S. Attorney and Labor Secretary Alex Acosta, who initially oversaw the Epstein investigation.Acosta resignedamid controversy over his role in a 2008 plea deal with Epstein anddefended his decision, saying his goal "was straightforward" and included putting Epstein behind bars.
"I'm here to testify that the original sin in the Epstein case was the way it was initially brought by Mr. Acosta back in 2006. The original case involved a very limited search warrant, or set of search warrants, and didn't take as much investigatory material it should have seized," Patel said. "If I were the FBI director, then it wouldn't have happened."
Patel testified that Epstein was not an FBI informant as some have claimed.
Patel spars with Democratic senators
Patel and Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff had a tense exchange amid questions about the Epstein investigation, during which Patel called the California senator a "political buffoon."
Patel called Schiff "the biggest fraud to ever sit in the United States Senate."
"You are disgrace to this institution and an utter coward," Patel added.
Schiff hit back as the two yelled over each other: "You can make an internet troll the FBI director, but [he] will always be nothing more than an internet troll."
Democratic Sen. Cory Booker and Patel engaged in a shouting match over Booker accusing Patel of making the country less safe.
"I believe you have made our country weaker and less safe," Booker told Patel, before detailing what he perceived as Patel's failures as the FBI's leader, including theouster of several top FBI leaders without explanation.
"That rant of false information does not bring this country together," Patel shot back at Booker.
The two men shouted over each other until Chair Chuck Grassley intervened and allowed Patel to respond.
Sen. Ted Cruz, who spoke next, quipped: "It used to be that to see theater you had to go to the Kennedy Center, now apparently you need only go to the Senate Judiciary Committee and see our Senate Democrats berating the director the FBI."
