Kash Patel Squirms Over 37 Epstein Pages Still Unreleased After Senator Presses Him on Trump Abuse Allegation

Kash Patel was put on the spot over 37 pages of Jeffrey Epstein-related records that remain unreleased, with Senator Sheldon Whitehouse pressing the FBI director on whether the documents contain contemporaneous FBI notes connected to a woman's allegations against Donald Trump.

During a tense Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Whitehouse repeatedly returned to the missing pages after previously raising concerns that the Justice Department had failed to disclose records connected to the allegation.

Patel responded that the FBI had produced 3.5 million pages and had complied with the relevant law and court orders, but when Whitehouse asked specifically about the 37 pages, Patel said he did not know what the senator was referring to.

Whitehouse Presses Patel on the 37 Pages

The exchange centred on FBI Form 302 records, which are summaries of interviews conducted by federal agents. Whitehouse said the Justice Department initially released only one of four 302 records connected to a woman who alleged she was sexually and physically assaulted by Trump when she was a teenager.

After the omission was highlighted, the department released three additional 302s. Whitehouse's March letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Patel said 37 pages still appeared to be missing, including FBI notes associated with agents' interviews of the accuser.

At the hearing, Whitehouse asked Patel whether those pages were likely the contemporaneous notes that formed the basis of the interview summaries.

Patel did not confirm that description.

Instead, he pointed to the wider document release and said investigators had reviewed information during the previous administration before making decisions about potential criminal referrals.

When Whitehouse returned to the 37 pages, Patel replied, 'I don't know what you're referencing.'

The Trump Allegation Remains Unresolved

The 37 pages have become significant because they are connected to records concerning an allegation involving Trump. The allegation itself remains an allegation, not an established finding of criminal wrongdoing.

Whitehouse's March 9 letter specifically asked the Justice Department and FBI to preserve records concerning the department's handling of the allegation and its compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act. He also warned that federal records laws impose preservation obligations on Justice Department and FBI employees.

The senator has argued that the continued absence of the pages raises questions about why they have not been made public. The Justice Department, meanwhile, has maintained that it has complied with the disclosure requirements.

Patel pointed to the scale of the release, while Whitehouse focused on the specific records he said were still missing.

Patel Faces Questions Beyond Epstein

The Epstein dispute was only one part of a much wider grilling for Patel, who faced questions from senators of both parties during the oversight hearing.

Lawmakers also challenged him over FBI hiring rules involving prostitution and bestiality, his handling of personnel changes, travel connected to official duties and the bureau's approach to election security.

One particularly unusual exchange involved the FBI's updated hiring standards. Patel said the policy was intended in part to ensure trafficking victims were not automatically excluded from employment because of conduct they had been forced to endure.

The discussion generated widespread attention because of the wording of the policy and the difficulty Patel faced explaining it under questioning.