FBI Director Kash Patel appeared on “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast, where he provided a major update on the bureau’s investigation into Anthony Fauci.
During the episode, Patel revealed that the FBI has secured Fauci’s “phones and devices” from the COVID-19 pandemic period—an indication that accountability may be looming for key figures involved in the federal pandemic response.
“I mean, we just had a great breakthrough this week on Fauci,” Patel said during the interview. “So, Sen. Rand Paul. Sen. Kennedy, and I hate naming names because I always forget people, are doing a great job with us on COVID origins. We’ve got multiple investigations going on with that.”
He then added, “But they’ve always been looking for Fauci’s original phone, or not original, but phones and devices he used while he was Fauci back in Trump I during COVID. Nobody had found them…until 2 DAYS AGO…we’re not done. We’re on the case.”
Patel cautioned Rogan’s audience against assuming that Fauci’s devices contain all the evidence needed to hold him fully accountable, noting that key information may have already been deleted. Still, he emphasized that the fact the FBI is actively investigating—and has obtained the devices—is a positive signal for public confidence.
He told Rogan that both the FBI and the Justice Department have a responsibility to the American people to determine whether Fauci misled the public and played a role in the economic damage and loss of civil liberties during the pandemic.
A key point of contention for many Americans is former President Joe Biden’s decision to issue a preemptive pardon for Anthony Fauci, the former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). The pardon was granted on January 20, 2025, during Biden’s final day in office.
Biden claimed the reason for the pardon was to protect those who are in public service from what he called “unjustified and politically motivated prosecutions” that he anticipated would happen during President Donald Trump’s second term. But there are questions over the use of an autopen to ‘sign’ the pardon. The Justice Dept., as well as Republicans in Congress, are investigating whether Biden actually authorized the pardon and use of the autopen or if members of his administration did so without formally gaining the then-president’s permission.
