Rep. Eric Swalwell speaks during a House Judiciary Committee hearing with FBI Director Kash Patel in the Rayburn House Office Building on Sept. 17, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Swalwell zeroed in on Patel's conversations with Attorney General Pam Bondi related to Trump after the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump, who was once friends with Epstein, was told by the DOJ that his name appeared in the files. Trump and several other high-profile figures, including former President Bill Clinton, ran in the same affluent social circle as Epstein but have never been charged over any wrongdoing.
"The attorney general and I have had numerous discussions about the entirety of the Epstein files," Patel said.
Swalwell repeated the question several times, before enunciating each syllable.
"Why don’t you try spelling it out if you’re going to mock me. Use the alphabet.… No? A B C, D E F," Patel shot back.
Unsatisfied, Swalwell said he would take Patel's "evasiveness" as a "consciousness of guilt." Swalwell also noted how the DOJ's unsuccessful attempts to ask the courts to unseal grand jury transcripts in both Epstein's and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell's case were meaningless because the grand jury material contained no new non-public information and represented only a small fraction of the broader case files.
HOUSE DEMOCRATS OPEN PROBE INTO FBI'S HANDLING OF EPSTEIN DOCUMENTS
Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell were both indicted on federal sex trafficking charges stemming from Epstein's years of abuse of underage girls. (Joe Schildhorn/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
Swalwell was one of numerous Democrats to broach the Epstein files after the DOJ botched a rollout of them earlier this year and ultimately said it would not disclose any further nonpublic information. Patel had long said prior to becoming FBI director that the government was covering for sexual predators affiliated with Epstein.
Patel addressed the case in his opening statement, saying former U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta did not, in his view, seek enough information when Epstein was originally prosecuted.
"The original sin on the Epstein case was how it was handled by Mr. Acosta when he first brought the case in 2006, seven and eight," Patel said. "The original case had a very limited search warrant, had a very limited search window.… I would not have done it that way."
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Epstein was later charged with trafficking underage women in 2019 and, according to authorities, died by suicide while awaiting trial.
At the close of the hearing, Democrats held a vote to subpoena four banks associated with Epstein, whose massive wealth remains a point of scrutiny. Republicans countered the effort by voting to table the motion.
Ashley Oliver is a reporter for Fox News Digital and FOX Business, covering the Justice Department and legal affairs. Email story tips to ashley.oliver@fox.com.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/kash-patel-calls-bullst-swalwell-heated-exchange-over-epstein-files