Jamie Raskin Presses FBI Director Kash Patel Over Epstein Files
House Judiciary hearing sees Raskin challenge Patel on transparency about Epstein records.
Washington, September 17 EST: The Epstein files have returned to the center of American politics, and Rep. Jamie Raskin made sure of it. In a packed House Judiciary Committee hearing, Raskin bore down on FBI Director Kash Patel, accusing him of shielding powerful figures by keeping parts of Epstein’s archive sealed.
Raskin’s frustration was clear: years of half-answers and partial releases have left the public with more suspicion than clarity. He pointed to the infamous “black book” of contacts, financial ledgers, and emails that remain hidden behind federal court orders. “The American people deserve the full truth,” he said, warning Patel that procedural excuses are not the same as accountability.
Patel’s Tightrope
Patel, newly installed at the bureau and under immense scrutiny, insisted his hands were tied. He reminded the committee that judges, not the FBI, control access to the sealed files. “Where we are authorized, we have released information,” he said. “Where records remain under protective order, the law prevents unilateral disclosure.”
It was the kind of answer that buys time but not trust. Patel, a Trump loyalist elevated to one of the most powerful law enforcement posts in the country, is walking a political tightrope: reassure the right that he is not running a cover-up while telling Democrats he will not defy court restrictions.
A Case That Refuses to Die
The exchange revealed why Epstein’s name still electrifies hearings nearly six years after his death in a Manhattan jail. The scandal never closed cleanly. Each new release of documents has left more questions than answers, and every redaction fuels the belief that elites are still being protected.
Raskin knows that dynamic well. Since his impeachment work during the Trump years, he has leaned on transparency as both a principle and a political weapon. Pressing Patel was less about getting an immediate document dump than about highlighting the gap between what Americans think they know and what remains hidden.
Partisan Theater, Real Stakes
The hearing followed a familiar script. Jim Jordan, the Republican chair, accused Democrats of ignoring cover-ups when they held power. Democrats shot back that Republicans were using Epstein’s victims as stage props. Yet beneath the partisan sniping, both sides understand the same truth: the Epstein files symbolize the public’s suspicion that America’s most powerful men and women are never fully exposed to justice.
That suspicion is corrosive, and lawmakers know it. Every sealed email or blacked-out page plays into the narrative of a government that shields insiders while lecturing ordinary citizens about the rule of law.
The Shadow of Violence
What made the hearing heavier was Raskin’s pivot to political violence. He invoked the recent killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk to warn against a culture that excuses threats and attacks on political opponents. “There is never any warrant for political violence in America,” he said, a line that resonated differently in a room still shaped by January 6, the Trump assassination attempt, and the rising drumbeat of election-year threats.
Patel backed him up, noting that the FBI has expanded coordination with local law enforcement to protect candidates and public officials. Still, assurances from the FBI in 2025 carry less weight than they once did. Trust in the bureau, like trust in Congress, is running on fumes.
The Larger Question
The fight over Epstein’s files is not really about one dead financier. It is about whether the American system can still hold elites to account. Every withheld document is a test of that promise. Raskin is betting that pushing the bureau, even against real legal limits, is the only way to keep faith with the public. Patel is betting that procedure will be seen as prudence, not stonewalling.
Both know they are playing to audiences larger than the committee room. One audience wants blood, the other wants order. Neither is satisfied by delay.
Where It Goes From Here
The hearing ended without resolution, as they usually do. But the Epstein files are not going away. For Democrats, they remain a rallying cry for transparency. For Republicans, a blunt instrument to paint Democrats as protectors of privilege. For the FBI, they are a festering wound that will reopen every time a new tranche of documents is unsealed.
The clash between Raskin and Patel was not just about what sits in those files. It was about whether America believes its institutions can still tell the truth, and whether, in this season of distrust and violence, the truth will even matter when it comes.
New Jersey Times Is Your Source: The Latest In Politics, Entertainment, Business, Breaking News, And Other News. Please Follow Us On Facebook, Instagram, And Twitter To Receive Instantaneous Updates. Also Do Checkout Our Telegram Channel @Njtdotcom For Latest Updates.
A political science PhD who jumped the academic ship to cover real-time governance, Olivia is the East Coast's sharpest watchdog. She dissects power plays in Trenton and D.C. without bias or apology.
