Kash Patel’s appearance on Megyn Kelly’s show was a welcome breath of straight talk in a swamp full of silence. Patel didn’t mince words about the chaos surrounding the Epstein files or the political theater that’s grown up around the attempted assassination of President Trump. Americans deserve plain answers, not staged press events and leaking by anonymous insiders.
Congress passed a law demanding the release of the Epstein-related files, and President Trump signed it — a 30-day deadline that now forces Attorney General Pam Bondi and the DOJ to make good on promises of transparency. Yet the administration’s own foot-dragging and lawyerly caveats about ongoing investigations give every appearance of delay and obfuscation, not the open sunlight conservatives were promised. The country shouldn’t have to beg for records that belong to the people.
Conservative activists and honest reporters watched in frustration as “Phase I” of the Epstein release turned into an unsatisfying stunt: rehashed flight logs, redacted lists, and a lot of puff but no substance. Megyn Kelly and others on the right rightly called out the bad optics — our side doesn’t get to look credible if the rollout is handled like a campaign photo op instead of a real dumping of facts. The mishandling only fuels the skeptics and hands the left an easy talking point.
To make matters worse, a DOJ/FBI memo leaked this summer claiming there is no “client list” and that the investigation found nothing to pursue has left conservatives livid and suspicious. We asked for documents and accountability; the answer cannot be a two-page memo that conveniently closes the book on decades of unanswered questions. If the agencies want trust, they have to earn it — and right now they’re squandering a rare window to prove they’re different.
On the Thomas Crooks case, Director Patel laid out numbers and scope that show the FBI did not rush to a conclusion: hundreds of agents, thousands of tips, devices seized and terabytes of data examined. Patel has been blunt in pushing back against sensationalized claims that the bureau ignored online warnings — he insists the probe found Crooks acted alone, a result conservatives should demand be backed up by clear, public evidence. If there are gaps, they must be filled; if there aren’t, then the FBI must show its work and shut down conspiracy-mongers.
That doesn’t end the controversy. High-profile reporters like Tucker Carlson have released material that raises awkward questions about Crooks’s online footprint, and lawmakers such as Sen. Ron Johnson have subpoenaed FBI records because the public deserves more than press statements. Healthy skepticism is not treason; it’s patriotism — we can love our institutions and still demand they be transparent and competent.
At the end of the day, conservatives want two things: truth and accountability. Kash Patel deserves credit for pushing back against anonymous smears and for trying to put facts on the table, but words aren’t enough — the American people need documents, timelines, and unredacted evidence where legally permissible. Hardworking patriots will keep pressing until every last question about Epstein and the Crooks attack is answered, and no bureaucratic dodge can stop that fight.
