SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Governor Gavin Newsom has zeroed in on FBI Director Kash Patel with a blistering public rebuke, accusing him of hypocrisy for swiftly indicting Trump’s political nemesis, New York Attorney General Letitia James, while stonewalling the release of Jeffrey Epstein’s long-withheld files.
In a pair of pointed X posts Thursday, Newsom mocked Patel’s celebration of James’ bank fraud charges as “baseless” political revenge, demanding the director turn his attention to the Epstein trove that’s become a lightning rod for transparency advocates.
Newsom’s salvo came hours after Patel crowed on X about James’ indictment on one count of bank fraud and one count of making a false statement to a lending institution—charges stemming from allegations she misrepresented a Virginia property as her primary residence to secure favorable loan terms.
“There simply cannot be, and will not be, different rules for different people,” Patel wrote. “One system of law and order from this FBI.”
James, who led the 2022 civil fraud case against the Trump Organization that resulted in a $364 million penalty (upheld on appeal despite the fine being tossed), fired back: “These charges are baseless and nothing more than a continuation of the president’s desperate weaponization of our justice system.”
Newsom Jumps In
Newsom, never one to shy from the fray, pounced with his first post: “Now do the Epstein files.” His press office followed up: “If that is the case Kash, why hide the Epstein files?”
The governor’s jab highlights a glaring disparity—James’ case moved at warp speed under Patel’s watch, while Epstein’s documents, seized from the financier’s estate after his 2019 death, remain largely sealed despite promises of full disclosure from Trump allies like Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino.
The Epstein saga has dogged the Trump administration since inauguration day, with Patel—once a firebrand demanding the files’ release on podcasts and Fox News—now deflecting questions in congressional hearings.
During a September 17, 2025, House Judiciary Committee session, Patel dodged Rep. Zoe Lofgren’s query on Trump’s mentions in the files, admitting, “I don’t know.”
Earlier that week, before the Senate Judiciary Committee, he flatly stated there’s “no credible information, none… that [Epstein] trafficked to other individuals,” a claim that survivors and Democrats called a “generational gaslight” and outright lie, given victim testimonies naming at least 20 other men.
Newsom’s criticism taps into a broader frustration that’s even ensnared the administration’s own ranks.
The Ongoing Delay of the Jeffrey Epstein Files
Attorney General Pam Bondi, in a February 28, 2025, letter to Patel, demanded the FBI hand over all Epstein records by 8 a.m. the next day, including “all investigative records, recordings and case files,” after learning the New York field office had withheld tens of thousands of documents.
Bondi accused the bureau of “duping” her office, but Patel’s response was tepid, pledging only to investigate any withholding—months later, key files remain redacted or unreleased.
The delays have sparked outrage from MAGA die-hards too. Elon Musk tweeted in June 2025, “Trump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public,” prompting House Democrats to demand clarification from Bondi and Patel by June 20.
On the Inside Trump’s Head podcast, author Michael Wolff claimed he’d seen photos of Trump with topless girls that Epstein displayed like “playing cards,” a bombshell White House communications director Steven Cheung dismissed as the ravings of a “lying sack of s–t” with “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
During a September 16, 2025, Senate hearing, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse grilled Bondi on reports of Epstein showing photos of Trump with “half-naked young women.”
Bondi deflected, accusing Whitehouse of ties to Epstein confidant Reid Hoffman—who she claimed tried to block flight log releases—and noting no direct donations from Hoffman to Whitehouse’s campaign per FEC records.
The Whitehouse pressed, stating, “There’s been public reporting that Jeffrey Epstein showed people photos of President Trump with half-naked young women… Have you ever seen such a thing?”
Patel Claims “No Credible Evidence”
Patel’s testimony drew bipartisan fire. Rep. Adam Schiff replayed clips of Patel pre-FBI days, demanding the files and calling the agency “evil” for protecting predators.
Patel, under oath, insisted the FBI has “no credible evidence” Epstein trafficked to others, contradicting victim accounts like Virginia Giuffre’s.
“Kash Patel now claims Jeffrey Epstein didn’t traffic young girls to anyone,” tweeted @CalltoActivism. “Then why not release the files?”
Brokeonomics called it a “catastrophic public meltdown,” accusing Patel of “institutionalizing the Epstein cover-up” by deeming victim testimonies “not credible.”
Punchbowl News reported Patel pushing back against “cover-up” accusations, sidestepping Trump’s name in the files during House questioning.
Status.news noted Bongino’s bind: The deputy director, who hyped footage proving Epstein’s suicide, now faces MAGA backlash for the DOJ’s June closure declaring no client list exists.
The FBI’s July 7, 2025, release of 10-hour cell video—missing at least 60 seconds, per Modernity—did little to quell doubts. Bongino and Patel touted it as proof of suicide, but critics like Crooks and Liars decried the “rickety scaffold of intrigue.”
USA Journal highlighted Bondi’s February order for full files, including videos of Epstein with children, which Patel pledged to deliver but hasn’t.
The Heat is Turning Up for the Release
Newsom’s posts, viewed over 500,000 times, amplify a narrative of selective justice: Swift action against Trump foes like James, but foot-dragging on Epstein, whose 2008 plea deal under then-U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta (later Trump’s Labor Secretary) shielded co-conspirators.
Trump, who called Epstein a “terrific guy” in 2002, has branded the files push a “Democrat hoax.”
As midterms near and a bipartisan House petition nears a vote for file release, Newsom’s troll could galvanize Democrats while exposing GOP fractures.
For survivors like Giuffre, who died by suicide in April 2025, the delays are a final indignity.
“The only motive to oppose the bill… is ‘to conceal wrongdoing’,” said survivor Anouska De Georgiou. With Patel’s “one system of law” mantra ringing hollow, Newsom’s call—”Now do the Epstein files”—echoes louder than ever.
Also Read: A GOP Member Now Shares Frustration Against the Party Amid Growing Tensions
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