FBI Director Kash Patel is finding out the hard way that when you promise “transparency,” people expect receipts—especially when those promises involve Jeffrey Epstein.
On Monday, Patel took to X to pat himself on the back, writing, “The transparency I promised is being delivered by this FBI.” The post quickly took off, racking up more than 5.5 million views. But that victory lap screeched to a halt just 24 hours later, when a Community Note—a user-driven fact-checking tool—appeared under the post, calling his claim BS.
“The Trump campaign promised to release the full Epstein files, which it still has not done,” the note read, linking to multiple reports highlighting Patel’s repeated vows to pursue Epstein’s alleged co-conspirators. And just like that, the floodgates opened.
“Transparency? Cool. Now release the Epstein files,” replied the Republicans Against Trump account, summing up the sentiment echoed by a tidal wave of furious replies.
MAGA commentator Ian Carroll piled on: “You had one job and it was Epstein. God gave you a second job with Charlie. And you failed both in the most spectacular way imaginable.”
Another user, @bishlish97, quipped: “I guess we won’t be seeing Kash in Valhalla.”
@SmiteThee7 fired back bluntly: “Never let up on Epstein.”
Then came the darker, more conspiratorial corners of X, with user @Jylar writing: “Patel worships demons and his wife is his Mossad handler.”
The backlash wasn’t just from random accounts with cartoon avatars. Many pointed out that Patel himself had spent years accusing the FBI of burying evidence and protecting Epstein’s powerful friends—before taking the helm of the same agency and, by all public appearances, continuing the silence.
Before joining the Trump administration, Patel was a loud voice on conservative media, pushing claims that the federal government—particularly the FBI—was actively covering up Epstein’s connections to elite figures. He wasn’t vague about it, either.
In a video played during a recent House committee hearing, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) forced Patel to confront his own words. In the clip, Patel states flatly that Epstein’s infamous “Black Book” is “under direct control of the director of the FBI,” and implies that it was being kept secret to protect the guilty.
Well, Patel is the director now. And the files? Still locked up.
To date, the FBI under Patel hasn’t released the bulk of the Epstein-related materials seized in 2019, including hundreds of explicit photos, CDs with disturbing handwritten labels like “Young [Name] + [Name],” and other key evidence. The public has seen little, and the powerful names Epstein once surrounded himself with remain largely untouched by any serious investigation.
If Patel wants to make good on his promises, the path is pretty simple: Release the Epstein files. Until then, “transparency” is just a word.
