Kash Patel has pledged to work with Congress to investigate the Jeffrey Epstein child trafficking scandal if he is confirmed as Donald Trump’s new FBI director.
Testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Patel said he would make combating child trafficking a priority.
He vowed to help after Marsha Blackburn, a Republican senator from Tennessee, complained she had been stymied by the previous administration in her attempts to get the flight logs for Epstein’s plane, nicknamed the “Lolita Express.”
“I want to talk to you about the Epstein case,” said Blackburn. “I have worked on this for years, trying to get those records of who flew on Epstein’s plane and who helped him build this international human trafficking, sex trafficking ring.”
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Blackburn said that “breaking up these trafficking rings is important to President Trump,” who was a personal friend of the late convicted sex offender.
“Will you work with me on this issue,” she asked Patel, “so we know who worked with Jeffrey Epstein in building these sex trafficking rings?”
“Absolutely, senator,” replied Patel. “Child sex trafficking has no place in the United States of America. And I will do everything, if confirmed as FBI director, to make sure the American public knows the full weight of what happened in the past and how we are going to counterman missing children and exploited children going forward.”
Blackburn accused the ranking Democrat on the committee, Sen. Dick Durban, of blocking her request for a list of the names of the Epstein associates who flew on his plane.
Durban insisted he was “falsely accused” of preventing the release of the flight logs.
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“We have fought this issue for quite some time. I look forward to having an FBI that will work to help get these records and end this human and sex trafficking in this country,” said Blackburn.
While some famous names have emerged as passengers on Epstein’s plane, including Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, some logs have still not been disclosed. There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing by Trump or Clinton.
The exchange was an easier one for Patel, who defended himself from attacks by Democrats on the committee who suggested he was only nominated because he was willing to do Donald Trump’s bidding.
Patel said he would not politicize the FBI should he win confirmation and suggested he may not have agreed with every Jan. 6 prisoner being pardoned.
He also denied promoting conspiracy theory cult QAnon and said he was supportive of Capitol Police officers on January 6, despite accusations that he previously referred to them as “cowards in uniform.”
At one point in the testy exchanges, Patel said he was the victim of racism and had been called a “detestable sand n----- who had no right being in this country.”
“But that is nothing compared to what the men and women in law enforcement face every day,” he added.