FBI Director Kash Patel went toe to toe with several Democrats during a Tuesday hearing in the House Judiciary Committee, clashing with Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) over the release of files related to the late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Raskin, who led the second impeachment hearings during President Donald Trump’s first term, heavily suggested that Patel was stonewalling Democrats in their persistent efforts to make the Epstein files public — efforts in which they showed no interest while former President Joe Biden was in office — and that he was likely doing so at Trump’s request. Patel repeatedly reminded Raskin that numerous court orders prevented him from simply releasing the files.

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🚨 ‘I’M NOT GONNA BREAK THE LAW TO SATISFY YOUR CURIOSITY!’: Kash Patel beats down the insufferable Rep. Jamie Raskin, holds nothing back. pic.twitter.com/LLzsGfrEWx

“YOU didn’t join us when we filed in the courts to release the court orders. You could’ve. You have lawyers. You…

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) September 17, 2025

“You were sworn in as director more than 200 days ago. Now the Black Book is under your direct control. So why haven’t you released the names of Epstein’s co-conspirators in the rape and sex trafficking of young women and girls?” Raskin demanded.

Patel pointed to the multiple court orders and a previous agreement Epstein had reached with federal prosecutors, noting that the disgraced financier had been free for 12 years and previous administrations — including former President Barack Obama’s — had done nothing to move his case forward.

“Has anyone released more information on Epstein than I have? Did Comey? Did Wray?” Patel asked, and Raskin insisted that it wasn’t enough.

“Why don’t you just release the entire file as you promised to do?” Raskin asked.

“I literally just told you, there are multiple federal court orders, I’m not going to break the law to satisfy your curiosity,” Patel shot back. “You didn’t join us when we filed in the courts to release the court orders. You could’ve. You have lawyers. You could’ve shown up. You didn’t do that!”

“That’s a tiny fraction of the material we’re talking about,” Raskin insisted.

Patel pointed out that if the information had not been released, Raskin could not possibly know how much information there was. “How do you know that? Have you seen everything?”

“It’s all misdirection,” Raskin claimed as his time expired.

The Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign is surging, with more than 389,000 illegal immigrants already removed from the United States, The Daily Wire has learned.

As of Tuesday, the feds had also arrested more than 415,000 illegal immigrants, Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told The Daily Wire.

(Greg Olson via Getty Images)

Federal immigration authorities are now on track to deport close to 600,000 illegal immigrants by the end of Trump’s first year in office.

While the latest deportation numbers outpace the previous fiscal year — when 271,000 illegal immigrants were removed from the United States — they still fall short of the administration’s goal of carrying out 1 million deportations each year.

Credit: Photographer: Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via Getty Images.

Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons recently told The Daily Wire that the agency is likely to meet its goal with the help of the administration’s efforts to push illegal immigrants to self-deport.

“I think we’re going to see our number, definitely with the CBP Home app and those that decided to leave on their own,” Lyons said.

Still, Lyons acknowledged that liberal judges “opining” from the bench have successfully created “roadblocks” that are “impeding how we’re doing our law enforcement mission.”

“Every day it seems like we have some type of adverse decision that’s going to affect how we’re doing our job,” Lyons said.

Brandon Bell/Getty Images

The Trump administration has offered to pay for the commercial flights of illegal immigrants who opt to leave the United States, handing them each an additional $1,000 bonus for choosing to depart. Thus far, 1.6 million illegal immigrants have departed the country on their own, according to DHS.

“After successfully ending the invasion of our country and securing our southern border, President Trump established the visionary Project Homecoming in May to create a smooth, efficient process for illegal aliens to return home,” McLaughlin said, referring to the administration’s push for illegal immigrants to self-deport.

“By using the CBP Home App, illegal aliens will receive a complimentary one-way plane ticket home, a $1,000 exit bonus, and forgiveness of any fines previously assessed for failure to depart. Tens of thousands of illegal aliens have utilized the CBP Home app, and 1.6 million illegal immigrants have left the United States population since January 20,” she added.

The Trump administration in recent months has deployed additional ICE officers and agents to Chicago in what has been dubbed the “Midway Blitz,” along with Washington, D.C., and Memphis, as part of a massive crime crackdown.