FBI director Kash Patel claimed at a Senate hearing this week that there is “no credible information” indicating convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein trafficked women to anyone but himself. But the hosts of “The View” aren’t buying that for a second.
When pushed on the Epstein case by Senators on Tuesday, Patel blew up at several of them, including Adam Schiff, who he called a “political buffoon.” Watching footage of the exchanges, host Sunny Hostin slammed Patel’s conduct as “despicable” and “unbecoming of the office.”
For host Alyssa Farah Griffin, the “glaring headline” of Patel’s testimony was his claim that there is no evidence of anyone partaking in the operation but Epstein.
“I’m sorry, then why is Ghislaine Maxwell sitting in prison convicted right now of sex trafficking?” she asked exasperatedly. “And you have numerous victims of Epstein who have come out and said they’re compiling their own list of the other men who were involved.”
Farah Griffin was quick to point out that Patel and his team actually have quite a bit of evidence in Epstein’s case, including grand jury testimony, victim testimony and everything in the binders given to right-wing influencers back in February.
“They actually have a ton of information on this, and I don’t know anyone in the public who is believing ‘This was Epstein and Epstein alone.’ There were absolutely other people involved and the public deserves to know.”
Hostin, having served as a prosecutor of sex crimes herself, also took issue with Patel’s assertion that it was the Bureau of Prisons’ call for Maxwell — who was convicted of sex trafficking and named Epstein’s direct partner in the operation — to be transferred to a minimum security prison.
“There is no way that the Bureau of Prisons, on its own, moved Ghislaine Maxwell to a lesser restrictive security prison,” she said bluntly. “It does not happen. Someone had to request that transfer. Let me also say this, the timing of that move is strange at best.”
Maxwell was transferred to a prison in Texas in August, just a week after she met with the Deputy Attorney General about the Epstein case. “Now you mean to tell me that that transfer had nothing to do with her cooperation and what she said, the Epstein case? We are not stupid!” Hostin bellowed.
She then reminded viewers that Epstein was a convicted pedophile, who ruined the lives of multiple women with his actions.
“How dare Kash Patel, as the FBI director, sit in front of the American people and elected Senators, and behave himself that way — and basically lie!” she said.
“The View” airs weekdays at 11 a.m. ET on ABC.
