(The Hill) — In a recent episode of his podcast, Joe Rogan criticized FBI Director Kash Patel, accusing him of making inconsistent statements regarding convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
“He’s saying there are no tapes, no videos. That just doesn’t add up. Everybody knows it doesn’t add up,” Rogan remarked during his latest podcast featuring former CIA officer Mike Baker.
Patel had previously appeared on Rogan’s podcast in June, a few weeks before a memo was released that caused a major controversy. During that appearance, Patel assured listeners that the administration would be transparent in reviewing documents related to Epstein.
“I’ve said it, Dan Bongino has said it. We’ve reviewed all the information and the American public is going to get as much as we can release,” Patel told Rogan.
“We’re going to give you every single thing we have and can,” he later added.
The FBI director has taken considerable heat over a memo from the FBI and the Department of Justice released in early July stating that Epstein had died by suicide, and that there was no evidence that the disgraced financier had blackmailed powerful figures — a disappointment to many supporters of President Trump who had hoped his administration would unearth new revelations about the case.
The Trump administration has since moved, unsuccessfully, to unseal grand jury transcripts related to Epstein, but has held off on releasing hundreds of hours of videos and photos it has reviewed, saying they contained child photography.
In his appearance on Rogan’s podcast in June, Patel at one point hedged on a question from Rogan about whether the government had video from Epstein’s island, alleged to be a hub for sex trafficking.
“Is there video from the island?” Rogan asked.
“Not of what you want,” Patel replied.
In his episode released Friday, Rogan said the issue remained “crazy” to him.
“The Epstein stuff is so crazy because when Kash Patel was on here and he was like, there’s no — there’s nothing, and I was like, what are you talking about? Yeah, I didn’t even know what to say,” Rogan said.
Trump has been the subject of several media reports in recent days of his social ties to Epstein in the early 2000s, most of which he has vehemently denied. On Friday, the Justice Department interviewed Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s longtime associate who is serving a 20-year prison sentence.
