Eric Swalwell Grills FBI Director Kash Patel on Trump-Epstein Files

House Judiciary Committee Hearing

• 🏛️ A House Judiciary Committee hearing featured a heated exchange between Rep. Eric Swalwell and FBI Director Kash Patel regarding the Epstein files.
• ✉️ Documents were submitted concerning victims' unsuccessful attempts to access their own FBI files and a redacted search warrant served on James O'Keefe.

Questions on Donald Trump's Involvement

• ❓ Swalwell questioned Director Patel on whether he had reviewed all the Epstein files and when Donald Trump's name first appeared.
• 🚫 Patel stated he had not reviewed the entirety of the files and could not provide a specific number for how many times Trump's name appeared, though he indicated it was not a high number.
• 🗣️ Patel asserted his priority is ensuring the country's safety and security, not engaging in political innuendo for fundraising purposes.

Information Release and Recusal

• ⚖️ Swalwell pressed Patel on releasing all legally permissible information from the files.
• 🤝 Patel claimed that all credible and lawfully releasable information involving the President and others has been released.
• 📞 Swalwell asked if Patel had informed the Attorney General about Donald Trump's name appearing in the Epstein files, to which Patel gave an evasive answer.

"Government Gangsters" Book and Recusal

• 📖 Swalwell referenced Patel's book, "Government Gangsters," and questioned whether Patel would recuse himself from investigations involving individuals he identified in the book, including Swalwell himself.
• ❌ Patel did not provide a direct yes or no answer regarding recusal, leading Swalwell to interpret his evasiveness as an admission.
• 🗣️ The exchange highlighted significant tension and disagreement over the handling and disclosure of information related to the Epstein investigation.