Kash Patel reveals FBI investigation recovered Anthony Fauci's cell phones used during pandemic

FBI Director Kash Patel has revealed that federal agents have recovered phones used by Dr. Anthony Fauci during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, calling the discovery a major “breakthrough” in the ongoing investigation into Fauci’s actions.

“We just had a great breakthrough this week on Fauci,” Patel said during an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience. The episode, released Friday, featured Patel discussing the recovery of these devices used by the former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) director.

“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,” Patel explained.

“Everybody listening to us shouldn’t jump to the conclusion [that] everything’s in there,” he continued. “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.”

Patel’s announcement comes amid continued scrutiny of Fauci’s role during the pandemic, especially regarding the origins of the virus and the US government's response.

Before leaving office, President Joe Biden granted Fauci a preemptive presidential pardon, shielding him from legal exposure for actions taken between January 1, 2014, and the end of the Biden administration. The pardon covers his time as NIAID director, chief medical adviser to the president, as well as from his time on the White House’s COVID-19 task force.

Republican lawmakers, including Senator Rand Paul, have repeatedly called for Fauci to face legal consequences, accusing him of misleading the public and contributing to the severity of the global health crisis. Paul has claimed that Fauci’s actions led to “between 10 [million] and 20 million” deaths worldwide, a report by The Hill noted.

Patel said during his podcast appearance that the administration believes “there was definite foul play,” but cautioned that his “opinion is irrelevant” and that “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 said.