Patel and Bongino tell Fox News Epstein killed himself

FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director DBDan Bongino sat down with MBMaria Bartiromo on Fox News's Sunday Morning Futures on May 18, 2025. The interview was the first time either man had done media since taking their positions. When Bartiromo raised Epstein's death, Patel said flatly: 'You know a suicide when you see one, and that's what that was.' Bongino backed him: 'He killed himself. I've seen the whole file.'

Both men had spent years building media audiences by questioning the official narrative around Epstein's death. As a podcaster in 2023, Bongino told millions of listeners: 'That Jeffrey Epstein story is a big deal, please do not let that story go. Keep your eye on this.' Patel had promoted theories about elite trafficking networks and pushed for release of Epstein-related documents. Their reversal came only after they had access to the full FBI case file.

Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan on August 10, 2019. He was 66 years old. 🗽New York City Chief Medical Examiner DBDr. Barbara Sampson ruled the death a suicide by hanging on August 16, 2019. The autopsy found fractures of the hyoid bone and thyroid cartilage. DMDr. Michael Baden, a pathologist hired by Epstein's legal team, publicly disputed the finding, saying the injuries were more consistent with homicidal strangulation.

The DOJ Inspector General released a report on June 27, 2023 that castigated Metropolitan Correctional Center staff for 'negligence, misconduct, and outright job performance failures.' Guards failed to assign Epstein a cellmate despite orders from the jail's psychology department. They didn't conduct required cell checks and allowed excess bedding in his cell. Two guards admitted to falsifying records and entered deferred prosecution agreements requiring 100 hours of community service.

Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News in February 2025 that an Epstein 'client list' was 'sitting on my desk right now to review.' The DOJ and FBI released a memo in July 2025 concluding no such client list existed. The memo found 'no incriminating client list,' 'no credible evidence that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals,' and 'no evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties.' The contradiction between Bondi's promise and her department's findings fueled bipartisan outrage.

The Epstein files became a flashpoint inside the administration itself. In July 2025, Bongino confronted Attorney General Bondi at the White House in a heated meeting that included FBI Director Patel, Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich. Bongino was angry that Bondi had overpromised disclosures about a client list that apparently never existed. He took a day off work afterward and considered resigning. He announced his departure in December 2025 and left on January 3, 2026.

Congress passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which Trump signed on November 19, 2025. The law requires the attorney general to make all Epstein prosecution files publicly available in searchable, downloadable format within 30 days. It also requires an unredacted list of all government officials and politically exposed persons named in the files to be given to the House and Senate Judiciary Committees. The Justice Department released the first batch of files on December 19, 2025.

The MAGA backlash against Patel and Bongino was swift and fierce. Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones called them out for contradicting years of anti-establishment rhetoric. Far-right activist Laura Loomer called for Bondi's resignation. Some conspiracy-minded commentators, like Patrick Bet-David, suggested Trump was secretly orchestrating the statement for leverage. Others speculated Epstein was still alive in protective custody. The episode revealed how conspiracy communities rationalize contradictions rather than update their beliefs.