Hawkeye Reporter

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) questioned FBI Director Kash Patel during an oversight hearing in Washington, focusing on several high-profile issues involving the agency. The hearing addressed topics such as the FBI’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, allegations of political bias, sexual misconduct among agents, and concerns about government recordkeeping.

Grassley opened by acknowledging recent changes under Patel’s leadership. “In the short amount of time [Patel has] been Director, [he’s] corrected whistleblower retaliation and increased transparency more than any other FBI Director I’ve seen.” He also released records indicating that the Biden-era FBI targeted 92 Republican organizations and individuals in its Arctic Frost investigation.

During questioning about Jeffrey Epstein, Grassley asked whether Epstein had ever served as an intelligence asset for the U.S. or foreign governments. Patel responded, “Mr. Chairman, I can only speak to the FBI, as the Director of the FBI, and Mr. Epstein was not a source for the FBI.” When pressed for further records related to Epstein, Patel said he would provide all legally permitted documents: “I will commit to providing all records I am legally permitted to do so under the court orders.”

Grassley then turned to questions regarding an FBI document known as a 1023 form from a previous Congress that referenced alleged evidence linking members of the Biden family to a bribery scheme with foreign interests. Grassley asked if efforts were made under former Director Christopher Wray to determine if supporting materials existed or were obtained. Patel replied, “Not to my knowledge, Mr. Chairman.”

On sexual misconduct within the Bureau between 2017 and 2024—where nearly 300 investigations were reportedly opened—Grassley asked about policy reviews and victim protection measures. Patel confirmed his commitment: “Yes, Mr. Chairman.” Addressing cooperation with private sector companies in child crimes investigations, Patel stated ongoing outreach efforts: “We can always do better with our private sector companies... I’m happy to discuss possible legislation that we can do to allow for these companies to continue.”

The discussion also covered vetting Afghan evacuees after reports that over 1,600 evacuees located in the United States had ties to terrorism or derogatory information as of August 2022. While unable to speak on his predecessor’s actions directly, Patel assured Grassley of ongoing review efforts: “…we are going through the databases to make sure that no known or suspected terrorists enter this country... And within two weeks [of my tenure], we caught one of the leaders of the Abbey Gate bombing and brought him to justice here from Pakistan.”

Addressing missing children under federal care due to mismanagement of immigration programs by prior administrations—including thousands reportedly unaccounted for—Patel detailed new efforts following September 2025 initiatives: “…we’ve surged resources not just to this cell but across the nation… we have located 4,700 children in seven months since I’ve been FBI Director… a 35 percent increase from last year.”

Regarding claims that politically motivated investigations targeted Republicans via Arctic Frost operations—which reportedly expanded their scope significantly—Patel emphasized procedural reforms: “The simple answer... is the FBI will only bring cases that are based in fact and law... We are doing a prospective and retrospective analysis of individuals who may have weaponized... this FBI will not be weaponized anymore – on either side of the aisle.”

Questions about restricted access systems used by previous administrations revealed additional transparency measures being implemented by current leadership: “…every single thing we can legally provide to Congress, we will... provided access [to restricted files] to more people in the chain of command…”

Finally, addressing mishandling of government records discovered at FBI headquarters—including materials related to Special Counsel Mueller and former Director James Comey—Patel described steps taken for compliance with federal recordkeeping laws: “…we found a plethora of hard drives... not so recorded... So we are continuously processing that information... providing Congress documents on a rolling basis…”

Throughout his testimony before Grassley and committee members, Patel repeatedly committed his agency toward increased transparency and accountability.