FBI Director Kash Patel told senators on Tuesday that the bureau has no evidence showing Jeffrey Epstein trafficked girls to anyone other than himself and that the FBI does not possess files naming other individuals alleged to have received trafficked women.

During an oversight hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Republican Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana asked Patel whether the agency had found any information that Epstein had trafficked young women to anyone besides himself. "There is no credible information, none — if there were I would bring the case yesterday — that he trafficked to other individuals," Patel replied. When Kennedy followed up, "So the answer is no one?" Patel answered, "For the information that we have… in the case file."

Patel said he had reviewed a substantial portion of the files related to Epstein and that original search warrants issued when Alex Acosta was U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida were "limited," a constraint he said contributed to the absence of names in the agency's records. His remarks echoed a July 7, 2025, memo from the FBI and the Justice Department that concluded investigators had not found a so-called "client list" of co-conspirators and that no additional prosecutions were warranted at that time.

The exchange came amid renewed public scrutiny over the handling of Epstein's case, the scope of the network prosecutors uncovered, and long-standing demands for greater transparency about documents associated with the disgraced financier. Epstein, a convicted sex offender, was arrested on federal sex-trafficking charges in 2019 and died in custody that year. The case has prompted investigations, civil suits, and public controversy over an earlier nonprosecution agreement reached in 2008.

At the hearing, Patel said the FBI does not have in its possession any files that include names of people to whom Epstein allegedly trafficked women, including minors. He reiterated that if the bureau had credible information pointing to other perpetrators, agents would have pursued criminal charges. "If there were I would bring the case yesterday," he told senators.

Patel's comments come as lawmakers and victims' advocates have sought fuller disclosure of federal records related to Epstein's contacts and alleged associates. Some lawmakers have argued that additional documents could reveal whether prosecutors or investigators missed lead information while others have called for protecting sensitive details that could affect ongoing inquiries or privacy and safety interests.

Senators pressed Patel about the scope of the FBI's review, the availability of documents in other federal offices and whether additional searches are planned. Patel said the bureau's conclusions reflect the agency's case file and the results of its review but did not detail whether other federal entities hold relevant materials not shared with the FBI.

The hearing underscored continuing tensions between congressional oversight demands and federal law enforcement's selections about what to disclose publicly. Members of the Judiciary Committee from both parties have in recent years pursued documents and testimony related to Epstein that they say are necessary to understand what investigators knew and how earlier prosecutorial decisions were made.

Patel's testimony is likely to renew calls from some lawmakers and members of the public for broader releases of documents related to Epstein's network and for further congressional scrutiny of the actions taken by prosecutors and investigators in the years before his 2019 arrest. For now, the FBI director's statement frames the bureau's position that its files do not show evidence that Epstein trafficked girls to other identifiable individuals and that the agency does not possess a list naming others who received trafficked victims.