Kash Patel claims ‘breakthrough' in Fauci COVID origins probe
FBI Director Kash Patel said in an interview this week that his agency made a 'breakthrough' as it continues to investigate former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director Dr. Anthony Fauci, a key player in the U.S.'s early response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the same time, Patel cautioned Fauci's critics from expecting too much.
'We just had a great breakthrough this week on Fauci,' Patel told podcaster Joe Rogan in an episode of 'The Joe Rogan Experience' released Friday, explaining the FBI had recovered phones used by Fauci early in the pandemic.
'They had always been looking for phones and devices he used while he was back in Trump one [the first Trump administration] during COVID, and nobody had found it until two days ago.'
'Everybody listening to us shouldn't jump to the conclusion [that] everything's in there,' he added. 'Maybe it's deleted, maybe it's not, but at least we found it, and at least now we can tell people that we have been looking because it is of public importance.'
President Trump and his allies have long accused Fauci of misleading the government on its handling of the pandemic and hiding the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Former President Biden granted Fauci a preemptive presidential pardon before Trump took office in January to shield the retired doctor from prosecution. Trump blasted the move at the time.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) a year earlier called for Fauci to be jailed over the origins of the COVID-19 virus. Paul and others claim Fauci played a role in the outbreak through lab research in China and accused Fauci of causing 'between 10 [million] and 20 million' deaths from the pandemic.
Fauci last year defended himself before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, arguing that he always followed the best science available and never suppressed evidence of a potential 'lab leak.'
He told lawmakers at the time that another million people would have died without government interventions, though he conceded, 'how long you kept them going is debatable.'
Biden's pardon covers any offenses from Jan. 1, 2014, to the end of Biden's term related to Fauci's service as NIAID director, a member of the White House's COVID-19 task force or as chief medical adviser to the president.
'We think that there was definite foul play, but my opinion is irrelevant,' Patel said. 'It only matters what I can show the American people and prove.'
'That's what we're working on [but] that's why I don't run out there and say 'Look, we're gonna get this guy, we're 100 percent gonna get him,'' Patel added.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Axios
18 minutes ago
- Axios
U.S. has "no interest" in putting troops on the ground in Iran, Vance says
Vice President Vance said Sunday that the United States doesn't plan to send ground troops into Iran and there is "no interest" in engaging in a "protracted conflict" with the nation. The big picture: Vance and other Trump administration officials appeared on Sunday shows to praise President Trump 's decision to carry out a series of airstrikes against three Iranian nuclear sites, while reassuring Americans that the mission — dubbed Operation Midnight Hammer — isn't the launching point for a wider conflict. Speaking on NBC's "Meet the Press," Vance called the mission a "precise, a very surgical strike tailored to an American national interest" — preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon — and that he had "no fear" of a drawn-out conflict. Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed the sentiment on CBS' "Face the Nation," saying that there are no plans from the U.S. to engage in further attacks on Iran unless they "mess around" and attack Americans or U.S. military sites. What they're saying: Rubio said Sunday that the U.S. carried out the attack after efforts to negotiate with Iran stalled, but that Trump administration officials are "prepared to talk to them tomorrow." Both men also dismissed the notion that the U.S. is at war with Iran, with Vance stating that the war is with Iran's nuclear program. "We destroyed the Iranian nuclear program. I think we set that program back substantially," Vance told NBC News' Kristen Welker. Zoom out: Vance and Rubio were unable to confirm the extent of the damage done to the nuclear sites, but Iran Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told CNN that the strike was a "betrayal of diplomacy." "No one knows what will happen next, but what is sure is that the responsibility of the consequences of this war must be borne by the United States and Israel," he said. Bagahei refused to say how Iran might respond to the U.S. strike, but said the nation is entitled to "exercise its right of self-defense."
CNN
19 minutes ago
- CNN
Dem. Senator Adam Schiff says 'we simply don't know' if US is safer after Iran strikes
Democratic Senator Adam Schiff speaks to Kasie Hunt about the congressional response to President Trump's order to strike Iran.
The Hill
19 minutes ago
- The Hill
Iran reportedly moves to close Strait of Hormuz after US attacks
The Iranian Parliament has approved a measure to close the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global oil chokepoint, after the United States bombed three nuclear sites in Iran, according to the Iranian state media on Sunday. While the Parliament has voted in favor of closing the strait, the final decision rests with the country's Supreme National Security Council, according to state media. Closing the strait, located between Iran and Oman, could have serious implications for both the global and U.S. economy. President Trump on Saturday night announced that the U.S. had bombed three nuclear sites in Iran, engaging U.S. forces in a war that Israel launched two weeks ago. In a brief address on Saturday night, the president warned of continued U.S. attacks on Iran if 'peace does not come quickly.' U.S. bombs targeted three nuclear sites in Natanz, Esfahan and Fordow, located inside a mountain. Six 'bunker buster' bombs were reportedly dropped on Fordow, while more than two dozen Tomahawk missiles were launched at the other two sites. The administration has argued the strikes were a monumental success, but it is currently unclear how much the sites were damaged or how long it has set back Iran's nuclear program. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi said the U.S. 'decided to blow up diplomacy' to end fighting with Israel by joining strikes against the country late Saturday night. Aragaci further warned of 'everlasting consequences.' Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday called on China to encourage Iran not to shut down the Strait of Hormuz. 'I encourage the Chinese government in Beijing to call them about that, because they heavily depend on the Straits of Hormuz for their oil,' Rubio said on Fox News' 'Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo.'
