--- title: FBI Director Kash Patel Says ‘No Credible Information’ Epstein Trafficked Victims to Others | TIME description: FBI Director Kash Patel testified in a Senate hearing on Tuesday that investigators have uncovered “no credible information” that the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein trafficked underage girls to anyone besides himself, a response unlikely to satisfy many in the MAGA movement, where speculation about Epstein’s connections to powerful figures has become a constant rallying cry. “There is no credible information—none,” Patel said under questioning from Sen. John Kennedy, a Louisiana Republican. “If there were, I would bring the case yesterday that he trafficked to other individuals.” canonical: https://time.com/video/vgGLWwUD/ og:title: FBI Director Kash Patel Says ‘No Credible Information’ Epstein Trafficked Victims to Others og:description: FBI Director Kash Patel testified in a Senate hearing on Tuesday that investigators have uncovered “no credible information” that the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein trafficked underage girls to anyone besides himself, a response unlikely to satisfy many in the MAGA movement, where speculation about Epstein’s connections to powerful figures has become a constant rallying cry. “There is no credible information—none,” Patel said under questioning from Sen. John Kennedy, a Louisiana Republican. “If there were, I would bring the case yesterday that he trafficked to other individuals.” og:url: https://time.com/video/vgGLWwUD/ og:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/vgGLWwUD/poster.jpg?width=720 og:type: video.other twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: FBI Director Kash Patel Says ‘No Credible Information’ Epstein Trafficked Victims to Others twitter:description: FBI Director Kash Patel testified in a Senate hearing on Tuesday that investigators have uncovered “no credible information” that the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein trafficked underage girls to anyone besides himself, a response unlikely to satisfy many in the MAGA movement, where speculation about Epstein’s connections to powerful figures has become a constant rallying cry. “There is no credible information—none,” Patel said under questioning from Sen. John Kennedy, a Louisiana Republican. “If there were, I would bring the case yesterday that he trafficked to other individuals.” twitter:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/vgGLWwUD/poster.jpg?width=720 --- * Politics # FBI Director Kash Patel Says ‘No Credible Information’ Epstein Trafficked Victims to Others > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Subscription: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME is a general-interest news organization founded in 1923, reporting on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world. A TIME subscription provides full access to that journalism in print and digital, from $20 a year, and can be cancelled at any time. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ## Video: FBI Director Kash Patel Says ‘No Credible Information’ Epstein Trafficked Victims to Others [Watch (HLS stream): FBI Director Kash Patel Says ‘No Credible Information’ Epstein Trafficked Victims to Others](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/vgGLWwUD.m3u8) (9:04)  _Published 2025-09-16. FBI Director Kash Patel testified in a Senate hearing on Tuesday that investigators have uncovered “no credible information” that the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein trafficked underage girls to anyone besides himself, a response unlikely to satisfy many in the MAGA movement, where speculation about Epstein’s connections to powerful figures has become a constant rallying cry. “There is no credible information—none,” Patel said under questioning from Sen. John Kennedy, a Louisiana Republican. “If there were, I would bring the case yesterday that he trafficked to other individuals.”_ --- Sep 16, 2025 11:20 PM UTC --- ## More From This Series [All Videos](https://time.com/video/) [Lawsuit Alleges Jeffrey Epstein Abused and Trafficked Girls in the U.S. Virgin Islands](/video/X0kbhbyq/) ### Lawsuit Alleges Jeffrey Epstein Abused and Trafficked Girls in the U.S. Virgin Islands [Jeffrey Epstein Ordered Held Without Bail as He Awaits Trial on Sex Trafficking Charges](/video/5tj1UcNe/) ### Jeffrey Epstein Ordered Held Without Bail as He Awaits Trial on Sex Trafficking Charges [Jeffrey Epstein Arrested on New Sex-Trafficking Charges](/video/VJ7hmCJA/) ### Jeffrey Epstein Arrested on New Sex-Trafficking Charges --- ## Transcript Now, I know that there's a lot of talk about Epstein, and I'm here to testify that the original sin in the Epstein case was the way it was initially brought by Mr. Acosta back in 2006. The original case involved a very limited search warrant or set of search warrants, and didn't take as much investigatory material it should have seized. If I were the FBI director, then it wouldn't have happened. You've seen most of the files. Uh, who, if anyone, did Epstein traffic these young women to besides himself himself. There is no credible information. None. If there were, I would bring the case yesterday that he trafficked to other individuals. And the information we have, again, is limited. So the answer is no. One for the information that we have. In the files. In the case file. Okay. Now, uh, President Trump has deferred to the FBI and the Department of Justice. Uh, with respect to the Epstein records, he says it is your call about releasing them. And and I understand that the department and the agency have decided to release them in cooperation with the House Committee. Is that correct? Yes, sir. Uh, so you're releasing them a little bit at a time, is that correct? We're releasing as much as we can. Um, but we are limited by three different court orders. And the department went back to each of those judges to waive those court orders or have them lifted. And each of those judges declined. Will you release all of them, or at least as many as you can? We will release everything we are legally permitted to do. So we are continuing to work with the House on the subpoena request. We have substantially required that complied with it, but we will continue to release whatever we are legally permitted to do. So. Okay. I strongly encourage you to do that. Okay. I don't this issue is not going to go away. Um, and I think the central question for the American people is this they know that Epstein trafficked young women for sex to himself. They want to know who, if anyone, else he trafficked these young women to. And that's a very fair question. I want to know that answer. And, uh, I think you're going to have to to do more to satisfy the American people's understandable curiosity in that regard. Mr. chairman, may I just respond to that? I agree, Senator. And what we have done and just to remind folks, the Epstein case files existed in the two prior administrations and the Obama administration and the Biden administration, they didn't release anything. And it was President Trump in the first administration that renewed charges against Mr. Epstein. Now, I am not saying that others were not trafficked and others were not involved. What I am telling you is that based on the information we have and we have continuously been publicly asked for the public to come forward with more information. If there is, we'll look at it. In Minnesota, only two months ago, a madman took the life of my friends Melissa and Mark Hartman, shot Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette at combined 17 times, and evidence indicates that he would have killed a lot more if law enforcement hadn't intervened. Just last month in my state, we were again shook to the core when little kids were shot down through stained glass windows in Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis. So my first question is on the assault weapon ban. Do you think that would be helpful in reducing gun deaths? Minnesota has suffered untold tragedy in these last few months, and whatever creativity we can use to eliminate even just one shooting, uh, one horrific death, I am in favor of engaging with Congress fully to do. I don't have the answers. I don't know what will eliminate it in its entirety, but I'm willing to engage and explore new ways with you, Senator. I'm not going to mince words. You lied to us. In the short time that you've been FBI director, you've presided over a rash of retaliatory firings. Three FBI agents have recently sued you. They are FBI agents with 60 years between them of distinguished service, rescuing hostages, saving kids from predators, dismantling drug cartels and their allegations. Their civil allegations are a searing indictment of your tenure as FBI director. The only way people get terminated at the FBI is if they fail to meet the muster of the job and their duties, and that is where I will leave it. And you accusing me of lying is something I don't take lightly. But I'm not going to get into a tit for tat with you. Well, let me just ask you to answer my question. Has anyone from the white House contacted you about personnel decisions? Generally speaking, we always discuss with the white House OMB during the budget process how many personnel we need, who we need, where. The answer is yes. For budgetary. Purposes. And. Realign people agents because they participated in investigations of the president. We saw the flood of hit pieces, the most powerful media outlets in the nation, dishonestly attacking and villainizing Charlie for the most vicious possible terms. How can you ask us to unite under that? There can be no unity between good and evil. Somebody has to win this thing. And as a country, we have to absolutely reject it. And don't tell me it's both sides. In the words of an FBI official you are overseeing, and I quote, generational destruction of the nation's premier law enforcement agency. Mr. Patel, in just eight months, you have assaulted the institutional integrity of the FBI. But I know FBI field agents. I've worked with them in Newark. No matter how truly bad you are, you can't undermine the legacy of agents who fight every day to keep us safe. But you can tarnish the integrity of the agency and undermine the agency's capacity. I believe you're failing. Failing as a leader. I don't think you're fit to be on the bureau. But here's the thing, Mr. Patel. I think you're not going to be around long. I think this might be your last oversight hearing. Because as much as you supplicate yourself to the will of Donald Trump and not the Constitution of the United States of America, Donald Trump has shown us in his first term. And in this term, he is not loyal to people like you. He will cut you loose. This may be the last time I have a hearing with you, because I don't think you're long for your job, but I'm going to tell you this. I pray for you. I pray for you that you can step up and defend your oath, defend the Constitution, and do a much better job of defending this country. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Do you want to say anything? Yes, sir. That rate of false information does not bring this country together. If you want to work on bringing this country, it's my time, not yours. My God, my God. If you want to talk about. Dividing this country, it. Is. I follow you. On your social media posts that. Tear this country apart. To address your falsehoods. Oh, you. You try all you want in this country to not take responsibility for what had your time, sir? Your time is over. Sir. You don't tell me my time is over. The people of new Jersey tell. Me what my. Time is. You can't lecture. Me. You can tell me. My time is over. You. Maybe they're charging. I'm not going anywhere. I am not afraid of you. The Bureau of Prisons decided on their own without any consultation with Blanche or anyone else that they were going to. Suddenly, after this interview. Completely unrelated to this interview. Completely unrelated to anything she said. Move her to a prison not suitable for a sex offender. You want the American people to believe that? Do you think they're stupid? No. I think the American people believe the truth. That I'm not in the weeds on the everyday movements of inmates. What I am doing is protecting. This. Country, providing. Historic reform and combating the weaponization. Of. Intelligence by the likes of you. And we have countlessly proven you to be a liar in Russiagate in January 6th. You are the biggest fraud to ever sit in the United States Senate. But all you care about is. A child sex predator that was prosecuted by a prior. Administration. And the Obama Justice. Department and the. Biden Justice Department did squat. And what did President Trump do? 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