FBI Director Kash Patel faces tough questions from Senator Peter Welch over Donald Trump’s claims that the 2020 presidential election was rigged. During a heated exchange, Welch presses Patel with a direct question: “Do you agree with Trump?” Patel’s response draws attention as the discussion turns to election integrity, Trump’s repeated allegations, and the evidence surrounding the 2020 election.
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00:00The president is saying he won the 2020 election. Do you agree with that?
00:04There are many ongoing investigations surrounding that matter, so I'm not going to comment on it and stylize the evidence.
00:10Mr. Patel, or Director Patel, excuse me, President Trump said the following just this past week and while in Ireland,
00:19where he was at a golf tournament, he said, quote, we had a rigged election.
00:23As you know, it was totally rigged because I won three times. I didn't win twice.
00:30I won three times. And, of course, the president is saying he won the 2020 election.
00:35Do you agree with that?
00:39There are many ongoing investigations surrounding that matter, so I'm not going to comment on it and stylize the evidence.
00:45So if there's ongoing investigations, as I know there are, that indicates you do believe the president 2020 was rigged.
00:53There are many ongoing investigations, and for me as the FBI director, to comment on the evidence would basically be
00:59in contradiction of the Constitution.
01:00And in furtherance of supporting the president's assertion that he won in 2020, the FBI conducted a raid at Georgia's
01:09Fulton County Election Office.
01:10The agents removed more than 650 boxes of ballots and election records from the 2020 election, and they did that
01:20despite the fact that there were two recounts,
01:23including one done by hand that showed President Trump lost Georgia by 11,779 votes.
01:33And no investigation has found any evidence of wrongdoing.
01:38And according to the public reporting, your FBI has brought in 260 intelligence officials to investigate the election results in
01:50Georgia in 2020.
01:52And that's on top of the agents from Atlanta already working on the investigation.
01:56Is that number accurate?
01:59As I've said, Senator, repeatedly public reporting is often wrong.
02:03And on terms of the investigation you're referring to, we presented a federal judge or a state court judge with
02:09a presentation of evidence,
02:11and he found a sufficiency of probable cause to execute that raid.
02:14And then have you issued, has there been a single indictment from this deployment of so many hundreds of FBI
02:22agents to Georgia to investigate an election that had two recounts won by hand, a single indictment?
02:30Once again, that matter is ongoing, so I'm not going to comment on it.
02:32No, the question is not whether it's ongoing.
02:35The question is whether, as of this moment, has there been a single indictment?
02:40If I comment on it, that's commenting on an ongoing investigation, and the FBI doesn't do that.
02:45Mr. Patel, there's been no indictment.
02:50That would be public information, right?
02:52Not if it was sealed.
02:54All right.
02:57Now, in September of last year, President Trump accidentally posted to Truth Social a direct message to Pam Bondi,
03:07then the Attorney General, regarding former FBI Director James Comey.
03:13It said, Pam, I have reviewed over 30 statements in post saying that essentially, quote,
03:20same old story as last time.
03:22All talk, no action.
03:23Nothing is being done.
03:24What about Comey?
03:25In the post, the president called Mr. Comey guilty as hell.
03:30You agree with that?
03:33Many of those matters are ongoing, as you know, so I'm not going to comment on it.
03:37And you're doing an investigation, right?
03:41Many of those matters are ongoing and have been publicly reported.
03:44So Trump previously fired Comey as FBI Director in 2017.
03:49Well, the Bureau was overseeing an investigation into whether Russia meddled in the 2016 election.
03:55And in May, Mr. Comey was indicted for an image of seashells that had been laid out to, say, 86
04:04-47,
04:05something he had posted 11 months earlier.
04:08And according to Todd Blanche, that is because you, as head of the FBI, were conducting an investigation the whole
04:16time.
04:16And Blanche said, I miss, meet the press.
04:19This is about a body of evidence that we have collected over a series of about 11 months.
04:25Is Attorney General Blanche correct that the FBI investigated the case against Mr. Comey for 11 months?
04:33The multiple matters that are being publicly, privately investigated by the FBI are not going to be commented on by
04:40me.
04:40I'm talking about the Blanche assertion that the FBI was investigating Comey for 11 months.
04:45The Attorney General is correct in stating that there has been lengthy investigations into anyone that organized law enforcement.
04:52And how many agents were assigned to that case?
04:54I don't know off the top of my head.
04:56Well, another target of President Trump's criticism about investigations into the 2016 election is, of course, former CIA Director John
05:06Brennan.
05:07In July of last year, President Trump said the following about Mr. Brennan.
05:11They're very dishonest people.
05:13I think they're crooked as hell, and maybe they have to pay a price for that.
05:17And yesterday, the lawyer for Mr. Brennan said in a court filing that his client received a subpoena to testify
05:24before a grand jury in Florida.
05:26Given this investigation was publicly reported last July, it's been ongoing for at least 14 months.
05:33How many agents have you assigned to investigate Mr. Brennan?
05:36I don't pick the number of agents I get assigned to these cases.
05:40The SACs are in charge, and they run the investigations as they see fit.
05:43And it's costed millions of dollars, bottom line.
05:46Here's the concern, Director Patel.
05:48You've been more than willing to use the FBI's limited resources to investigate President Trump's personal grievances over previous elections.
05:57Comey and Brennan for the 2016 election.
06:00And Russia's involvement.
06:02Georgia election officials for 2020.
06:05My concern is that this means what you are willing to do for the President in this year's midterm elections
06:13that the President is already saying are going to be rigged if he loses.
06:19Last year, during the President's State of the Union, President Trump referred to Democrats and said,
06:25this is public at the State of the Union, the only way they can get elected is to cheat.
06:32Do you agree with President Trump's statement?
06:37The information you're discussing involves ongoing investigations, and I'm not going to comment on it.
06:41No, I'm asking you about his assertion that in this upcoming election, days away from now,
06:49The only way that the Democrats can win is to cheat.
06:54Do you agree with the President?
06:55Based upon the Russiagate hoax and everything else that's happened,
07:00the President is completely justified in making his opinions known, as does any President before him.
07:05Well, you've been asked a few questions about what the FBI role is going to be.
07:08Last month, Congressman and Michigan gubernatorial candidate, John James, said to podcaster Benny Johnson,
07:16quote, I've already had a good conversation with my friend, Kash Patel,
07:22who has said already that the FBI will have a presence leading up to Election Day in Michigan,
07:29in both West Michigan and Southeast Michigan.
07:32Is that true?
07:33We have an election crimes community coordinator in all 56 field offices,
07:37so you bet we're going to have them there and manning the post for Election Interference Matters.
07:41Wait, I thought you weren't going to be sending people to the polls.
07:44When did you hear that?
07:46It's just another lie.
07:47When you answered Mr. Blumenthal.
07:48Nope.
07:49So you are sending the FBI to the polls.
07:52We have election crisis coordinators manned at all 56 field offices.
08:00Election integrity is of paramount importance.
08:02This FBI is not going to shy away from that effort.
08:05And if you want to continue lying about the men and women of the FBI so you can have your
08:09four-second campaign ad, go ahead.
08:11But the historic results, the 20% reduction in murder rate, the 1,100 terrorist attacks stopped,
08:17the 11,000 children found, the 54,000 violent offenders are what this FBI is driving towards,
08:23the top ten most captured, six of the most wanted fraudsters captured.
08:28You asked where we're spending our resources.
08:31We are spending the resources in delivering the most prolific reduction in crime in U.S. history,
08:35crushing violent crime and defending the homeland, and that's where we're going to continue to do it.
08:39I ask that my time be restored, Mr. Chairman.
08:44Please proceed.
08:45This is existential.
08:48You told Mr. Blumenthal you weren't sending FBI agents to election sites.
08:53You told, and according to Mr. James, you said the FBI is on the way.
08:58And this is about whether the United States citizens, Republicans, Democrats, independents,
09:04are the deciders of this election, or there's election interference led by the FBI and the Trump administration.
09:12That's what this is about.
09:14Do you pledge that you will not in any way interfere in the will of the American people when they
09:21go to the polls in November?
09:23I pledge unequivocally that I will not participate in your charade of lies.
09:27Then why are you being such a panderer to President Trump, who's still claiming that he won the 2020 election,
09:35and who has said the only way Democrats can win in 2026 is if they cheat?
09:42Do you believe that?
09:44What I believe in is the rule of law.
09:46What I will always believe in is executing the rule of law.
09:49The rule of law is the president saying in advance that he loses election.
09:50Are you done with your campaign ad?
09:52By the way, it's been rigged.
09:54I want to know how your wealth increased 4,000% since you became a United States senator.
09:59That's a magic act.
10:00All Americans should be available.
10:02Mr. Patel.
10:03Let's knock it off.
10:06Senator Welch, proceed to ask your questions, and the witness will answer the questions.
10:10Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
10:13Mr. Patel, you know that the First Amendment guarantees the right to a free press.
10:20Obviously.
10:21You filed five defamation lawsuits against journalists since 2019,
10:26and you filed your second against the author of an article in The Atlantic demanding $250 million from her.
10:36The complaint is based on, according to your complaint, these are your words,
10:41that she wrote you were known to drink to the point of obvious intoxication,
10:44in many cases in a private club at Ned's in Washington, D.C.
10:48She also wrote you are known to drink to excess at the Poodle Room in Las Vegas.
10:54Mr. Patel, is the FBI currently investigating,
10:59or did the FBI ever investigate the author of that article, Ms. Fitzpatrick,
11:04following that Atlantic story?
11:06As a U.S. citizen, I have every right to claim the truth.
11:09She printed false material.
11:11I'm taking her to court.
11:12They didn't ask that question.
11:13Let me finish.
11:15As a personal private citizen, I am allowed to participate in my own defense,
11:21especially when there's a smear campaign,
11:23one which you are participating and continuing the falsehoods and lies
11:28that are directed at me because of the historic dissent.
11:30You cannot stand the fact that President Trump and this FBI
11:34have made America more secure than it has ever been.
11:36You didn't do it in your 20 years in the Senate.
11:39No other administration has done it.
11:40We've done it.
11:41Your time's up.
11:42Did you invest, did the FBI investigate her, is the question I asked.
11:48The FBI investigates criminals.
11:52The FBI investigates criminals, and the FBI does not investigate personal matters.
11:57I told you I addressed it personally.
11:59Did the FBI investigate the author of this article?
12:04No.
12:04Ms. Fitzpatrick.
12:08You hard of hearing?
12:09I just said no.
12:11I want to ask you about your trip to Italy.
12:13His time's up.
12:14Are you still going to go?
12:15He interrupted and filibustered.
12:17Let me ask him about his trip to Italy.
12:19If you would wind it down.
12:22Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
12:25I understand that there's a requirement that you take the official plane when you go to where
12:32you want to go.
12:33And apparently you wanted to go to the Olympics.
12:36And you combined, you were four days there, and you did some, quote, work.
12:42A dinner with the ambassador, an hour with Italy counterpart operatives, three 20-minute
12:48meetings, a security briefing, and a 30-minute tour over four days.
12:52And then you barged into the celebration of our winning Olympic team.
12:59What were you doing doing that?
13:01Can't you let the players enjoy the joy of their own victory?
13:07What you'll never understand is the players who are my friends invited me into the locker
13:11room.
13:11What you'll never understand is that during that trip where 300,000 Americans went to
13:15Italy to participate in the games and watch them, not a single security incident occurred.
13:19What you'll never understand is throughout the World Cup, not a single security incident
13:22occurred because we stood a joint operations center up there.
13:25And the most important thing to come out of that trip, besides the American men defeating
13:28the Canadians and celebrating the love of this country and inviting me in to do so,
13:32is the fact that we obtained the seizure and capture of China's most prolific hacker and
13:37returned him to the United States.
13:39And how about your trip to the boondoggle ranch?
13:43How many days off a year do you take?
13:45Because I took four this year.
13:47How about your trip to the boondoggle?
13:48I go where I want to go after delivering the most prolific crime reduction in U.S.
13:52history.
13:53You take 180 days off a year, and you can put up all the posters you want and all the
13:57lies
13:58you want, but everybody sees you for the complete and total fraud that you are.
14:01I'll tell you what the lie is.
14:02I think Senator Welch is rigged, and it's a lie that only Democrats won.
14:07Senator Welch, you need to wind down your questions so we can move on.
14:11All right.
14:11I'll just end by this, Mr. Chairman.
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