FBI Director Kash Patel revealed on "The Joe Rogan Experience" podcast that several devices, including phones used by Dr. Anthony Fauci during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, have been recovered. Patel noted that before he took over, the FBI had claimed they could not locate Fauci's phone. This discovery comes after years of searching and requests from congressional investigators, including Republican Senator Rand Paul.
The recovery is seen as a crucial step in probes investigating the origins of COVID-19 and Fauci's communications during that period. While Patel acknowledged that the information on the devices might not yield significant findings, he emphasized the importance of the recovery for public transparency. Previous congressional investigations and emails from Fauci's former senior adviser, Dr. David Morens, suggested attempts to use a "secret back channel" and intentionally misspell words to evade Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.
Patel stated that the FBI, with assistance from Senate investigators, is now examining the contents of these devices. This development follows allegations that Fauci had ordered the deletion of emails relevant to COVID-19 origins and that his aides used personal emails and strategic misspellings to avoid federal record transparency laws. The FBI has multiple ongoing investigations across three field offices related to the concealment of federal records and misleading public information about the pandemic's origins.
