House Judiciary Committee Democrats have announced they are probing the FBI over whether Director Kash Patel is willfully refusing to disclose information related to Jeffrey Epstein.

‘Who exactly are you protecting by refusing to release the Epstein files? In 2023, on Benny Johnson’s podcast, you were asked why the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was ‘protecting the world’s foremost predator’ by refusing to release the Epstein client list. Your answer: ‘Simple. Because of who’s on that list,” Democratic lawmakers, led by ranking member Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., wrote.

‘Now that you are the Director of the FBI, you know precisely who is implicated in the Epstein files, yet you refuse to release them. Who are you protecting and why?’

The letter pointed to several occasions where Patel called for transparency in Epstein’s case, including his statement soon after taking the role, ‘There will be no cover-ups, no missing documents, and no stone left unturned — and anyone from the prior or current Bureau who undermines this will be swiftly pursued.’

‘Strangely, all these promises appear to have collapsed once you determined who was actually in the files,’ the Democrats wrote.

They also referenced a New York Times report that detailed hundreds of people pouring over thousands of documents related to Epstein.

‘This frantic review by nearly 1,000 agents of over 100,000 pages of investigative material apparently revealed no information worthy of disclosure to the American public— however, at least some information from the review was shared with President Trump. In May, Attorney General Bondi reportedly informed President Trump that his name indeed appeared repeatedly in the Epstein files,’ the letter said.

‘Obvious questions abound: why were so many agents tasked with reviewing documents that were never released? What specific instructions were they given during the review? What information did these agents uncover that led DOJ and FBI to reverse their promise to release the files, and how are these decisions related to the President?’

President Donald Trump himself denied being told that his name was in any files related to Epstein in late July.

‘No, I was never, never briefed. No,’ the president said at the time.

It was never reported in what context Trump’s name may have appeared, however. It’s known that the two were friendly before a falling out in the early 2000s, though Trump has never been implicated in any wrongdoing related to Epstein’s crimes.

Trump himself directed the Department of Justice (DOJ) to release grand jury transcripts related to Epstein, and Attorney General Pam Bondi subsequently had her deputy interview Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell in a Florida prison.

Trump has also called the furor surrounding Epstein a ‘hoax’ on multiple occasions.

The DOJ has since turned over thousands of documents related to Epstein to the House Oversight Committee.

Convicted sex offender Epstein committed suicide in 2019 while awaiting prosecution on federal sex trafficking charges and the GOP base has fractured over the administration’s handling of the case.

The divisions stem from a DOJ memo released in July that said, ‘This systematic review revealed no incriminating ‘client list.’ There was also no credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions. We did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties.’

Democrats have since seized on the discord with newfound calls for transparency in Epstein’s case, which Republicans have panned as hypocrisy.

An FBI public information officer declined to comment on the letter when the bureau was reached by Fox News Digital.

Vice President JD Vance shared a deeply personal remembrance of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot Wednesday while speaking at Utah Valley University. In a lengthy post on X, Vance honored his late friend as a man of ‘courage,’ ‘faith’ and profound loyalty.

Kirk, the co-founder and CEO of Turning Point USA, was a close confidant of Vance’s both personally and politically. Their friendship stretched from early skepticism about Donald Trump in 2016 to the heights of the 2024 campaign trail.

Vance’s candid social media reflection gave a rare glimpse into Kirk’s influence not only on the conservative movement but also on the very formation of the Trump-Vance team.

‘Charlie was fascinated by ideas and always willing to learn and change his mind,’ wrote the Vice President. ‘Like me, he was skeptical of Donald Trump in 2016. Like me, he came to see President Trump as the only figure capable of moving American politics away from the globalism that had dominated for our entire lives.’

‘Charlie was one of the first people I called when I thought about running for senate in early 2021. We talked through everything, from the strategy to the fundraising to the grassroots of the movement he knew so well. He introduced me to some of the people who would run my campaign and also to Donald Trump Jr.’

Kirk, a longtime advocate for young people in the conservative movement, was described by Vance as pivotal to President Trump’s decision-making process in his selection as running mate in 2024.

‘When I became the VP nominee—something Charlie advocated for both in public and private—Charlie was there for me… Charlie was constantly calling and texting, checking on our family and offering guidance and prayers,’ Vance added.

He also highlighted the father-of-two’s strong faith in Christ, saying, ‘Charlie genuinely believed in and loved Jesus Christ. He had a profound faith. We used to argue about Catholicism and Protestantism and who was right about minor doctrinal questions. Because he loved God, he wanted to understand him.’

His ‘true,’ friendship and loyalty were valued by Vance, with the Vice President recalling Kirk as ‘a true friend. The kind of guy you could say something to and know it would always stay with him.’

Vance also credited Kirk with helping power the Trump movement in 2024, noting that ‘so much of the success we’ve had in this administration traces directly to Charlie’s ability to organize and convene.’

After reports came out Wednesday afternoon, the Vice President said he spoke with President Trump about Kirk candidly.

‘I was talking to President Trump in the Oval Office today, and he said, ‘I know he was a very good friend of yours.’ I nodded silently, and President Trump observed that Charlie really loved his family,’ said Vance. ‘The president was right.’

‘I was in a meeting in the West Wing when those group chats started lighting up with people telling Charlie they were praying for him. And that’s how I learned the news that my friend had been shot,’ recalled Vance.

Vigils were held across the country following the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at an event in Utah on Wednesday.

Kirk, the 31-year-old co-founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed on the campus of Utah Valley University on Wednesday afternoon. He was transported to a hospital in critical condition before he was later pronounced dead.

Politicians, faith leaders, fellow conservative activists and others mourned Kirk’s death, with some announcing vigils to stand against political violence in the wake of his murder.

Turning Point USA campus chapters at colleges across the country organized vigils on Wednesday night for the organization’s founder.

‘In response to the reprehensible and senseless murder of Charlie Kirk, we are gathering tonight at Westlake Park in Seattle at 7:30PM for a time of prayer, worship, and solitary as we take a stand against the senseless political and religious violence in America,’ Russell Johnson, lead pastor at The Pursuit in Washington state, wrote on X announcing his church’s vigil.

Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-MT, said there would be a prayer vigil at a church on Capitol Hill on Wednesday night.

‘I invite Montanans to join us in prayer and spirit praying for Charlie, his family and our divided nation. We must heal,’ he wrote on X.

In Arizona, the group Catholics for Catholics said a rosary vigil would be held Wednesday night.

‘Charlie Kirk’s local Catholic community gathers to pray the Rosary for the Eternal Rest of his soul,’ the group wrote on Instagram.

‘Charlie was our friend,’ the post added. ‘His family are our neighbors. He attended our Church. We loved him and America loves him too. It’s time now for us to pray and ask for Our Lady to usher his soul into heaven.’

The New York Yankees held a moment of silence ahead of Wednesday night’s game against the Detroit Tigers to honor Kirk.

‘Before tonight’s game we held a moment of silence in memoriam of Charlie Kirk. Kirk founded the youth activist group ‘Turning Point USA’ and had become a fixture on college campuses,’ the team said on X.

Kevin Smith, founder of the conservative media company The Loud Majority, also announced a vigil scheduled for Saturday in New York.

President Donald Trump, officials in his administration, other U.S. politicians on both sides of the aisle, foreign leaders and sports figures were among those who came out in mourning Kirk and condemning acts of political violence.

‘The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social. ‘Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!’

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, said on X that the attack on Kirk was ‘disgusting, vile, and reprehensible,’ adding: ‘In the United States of America, we must reject political violence in EVERY form.’

‘Charlie Kirk was murdered for speaking truth and defending freedom,’ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on X. ‘A lion-hearted friend of Israel, he fought the lies and stood tall for Judeo-Christian civilization.’

‘Condolences to his family and the young people of this country,’ Bruce Pearl, Auburn University’s men’s basketball coach, said on X. ‘Many in our Auburn student body are horrified tonight, you young patriots who love our country like Charlie. For now let’s morn, keep the violent rhetoric down and then live our best lives, committed to making this country better.’

Kirk leaves behind his wife, Erika Lane Frantzve, and two children.