In a fiery exchange on Capitol Hill Wednesday, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) directly challenged FBI Director Kash Patel over his recent claim that no “credible information” exists tying Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking operation to any individuals beyond Epstein himself.

Massie, a vocal proponent of government transparency and a longstanding advocate for the release of the Epstein files, pressed Patel over his testimony before the Senate earlier this week — and used the opportunity to read out a partial list of prominent figures who, according to victims, were allegedly involved in Epstein’s trafficking network.

“Director Patel, I watched some of your Senate hearing yesterday,” Massie began. “You said there’s no credible information that Epstein trafficked these women to anyone else. But that doesn’t match the evidence the FBI already has.”

Massie then cited FBI Form 302s — official records of witness interviews — which, he said, contain testimony from victims naming at least 20 men, including Jes Staley, the former CEO of Barclays Bank. Other unnamed individuals, according to Massie, include a Hollywood producer worth hundreds of millions, a royal prince, a government official, several billionaires, and even a magician.

“We know these people exist in the FBI files, the files that you control,” Massie said. “I don’t know exactly who they are, but the FBI does.”

He then asked Patel directly: “Have you launched any investigations into any of these people, and have you seen these 302 documents?”

Patel responded that while he had tasked FBI agents with reviewing all Epstein-related material, no new indictments had been brought forward, and no new credible evidence had been presented to him personally.

“We’re working with Congress to divulge that information and produce it to you,” Patel said. “But there have been no new materials brought to me.”

Massie didn’t hold back.

“So is the loophole here that you’re saying these victims aren’t credible? That the 302s maybe didn’t produce credible statements that rise to probable cause?” he pressed.

Patel denied making that assertion, attributing the lack of prosecution to the judgment of two separate U.S. Attorneys’ Offices under three different presidential administrations — none of which pursued further charges based on the documents.

The congressman, however, refused to let the matter drop.

“Are the 302 documents in the FBI’s possession?” Massie asked.

“They reviewed all that, yes, sir,” Patel replied.

“And have you reviewed them — the ones where the victims name the people who victimized them?”

“If I personally—no. But the FBI has,” Patel admitted.

That prompted a pointed response from Massie:

“So how can you sit here and in front of the Senate and say there are no names? I named one today.”

Patel responded that the FBI doesn’t typically release names of either victims or individuals tied to unproven allegations, especially when the agency has determined that the information does not meet a threshold of credibility or probable cause.

“We are not in the habit of releasing incredible information,” Patel said. “Multiple authorities have looked at the entirety of what we have.”

But Massie wasn’t satisfied.

He underscored that the limitations of prior investigations — particularly the controversial 2007 non-prosecution agreement signed in Florida — did not apply to the 2019 Epstein indictment in the Southern District of New York, which, he noted, generated a fresh wave of interviews and supporting documentation.

That distinction, he argued, invalidates Patel’s claim that earlier constraints hampered the FBI’s ability to follow through on victim allegations.

As outrage continues to build across the political spectrum over the lack of public accountability in the Epstein case, Massie’s interrogation marks one of the most direct public challenges to the FBI’s current handling of the matter — and raises fresh questions about why the names of alleged accomplices remain sealed, even years after Epstein’s death.

“We owe the American people the truth,” Massie said. “And I intend to keep asking.”

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr