WASHINGTON, Sept 17 (Reuters) - FBI Director Kash Patel will face a U.S. House of Representatives panel on Wednesday for a second day of questioning by lawmakers, who are expected to focus on his handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case.

Patel broadly defended his seven-month tenure as head of the FBI and his handling of the Epstein probe during a Senate committee hearing on Tuesday, pushing back against Democrats who criticized his leadership of the most prominent U.S. law enforcement agency.