WATCH: Patel doesn’t answer whether there has been any FBI probe on Epstein birthday book ‘forgery’
Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., questioned FBI Director Kash Patel on Tuesday about whether the agency has opened an investigation into Jeffrey Epstein’s “birthday book” or interviewed any witnesses about it.
The book is a collection of messages compiled for the convicted sex offender’s 50th birthday and included notes from a range of contributors, including former President Bill Clinton and billionaire Leslie Wexner, as well as a sexually suggestive note apparently from President Donald Trump, who has denied writing anything for the 2003 book and claimed his signature was forged.
Patel didn’t directly answer Booker’s question in the oversight hearing held by the Senate Judiciary Committee, saying, “We are not targeting reporters at any point in time,” in response to earlier criticisms by the senator.
Patel is testifying in an oversight hearing on the nation’s lead law enforcement agency, which has recently touted a drop in crime nationwide.
His time heading the FBI has been plagued by critical reports about his own conduct, the subject of tense questioning by earlier Senate panels. Patel is expected to face scrutiny over mass resignations and firings at the bureau, and the easing of the agency’s strict hiring requirements to compensate for those losses.
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