FBI Director Kash Patel said new revelations about the agency’s role in the January 6 Capitol riots will “surprise and shock” the American public, as Republican leadership ushers in a new phase of political scrutiny surrounding the event.
In a Wednesday interview on Special Report with Fox News anchor Bret Baier, Patel previewed the upcoming release of a long-anticipated report investigating whether FBI informants were present at the Capitol during the riots.
“People have had questions about January 6 and whether or not there were FBI sources, not agents, sources on the ground during January 6. And I told you I would get you the definitive answer to that, and we have. And we are in the process, again, of working with our partners to divulge that information. It is coming,” he told the anchor.
“I will tell you this answer will surprise and shock people because of what past FBI leaders have said about it,” he noted further.
Baier then pressed Patel for more info: “Former FBI leader Chris Wray eventually admitted to Congress there were 26 FBI confidential human sources in and around the Capitol on January 6, but not actual agents. Can you say that’s true? Are there more than that? What are you learning from that?”
“I can say that’s definitely a piece of the truth,” Patel said. “Why it took a ton of time in questioning in Congress for the director to get that point is what I’m trying to eliminate from the FBI.
“If Congress asks you a question under oath, whether or not there were sources, in and around January 6 at the Capitol. You, as the FBI director, need to know that and not to deflect and give a D.C. answer. You have to be prepared for that. That’s the answer we are giving. That’s the answer that Chris Wray should have given,” he added.
“And eventually everybody is going to know the whole picture?” the journalist followed up.
“Yeah. Because the American people deserve that,” Patel replied.
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said Thursday that his office uncovered evidence from former FBI Director James Comey’s tenure in a room that had been “hidden from us,” as the bureau has been forced to reallocate resources amid ongoing internal investigations.
“I wouldn’t call it hidden, but hidden from us at least and not mentioned to us, and then we found stuff in there and a lot of it’s from the Comey-era, and we are working our damndest right now to declassify,” Bongino told Fox News on May 29.
He added: “I totally understand people saying, ‘Well, do it now.’ The process is [that] not all information is ours to declassify; some is other intelligence agencies, it’s not—we literally can’t do it.”
“Once that gets done and that gets out there, and you read some of the stuff, we found that … was not processed through the normal procedure, digitizing it, putting it in FBI records. We found it in bags hiding under Jim Comey’s FBI, and you’re going to be stunned,” Bongino said.
Bongino did not disclose specifics about what was found but took the opportunity to criticize Comey, who was dismissed during Trump’s first term. His remarks came in response to a Fox News anchor’s question referencing earlier comments from FBI Director Kash Patel about a social media post made by Comey.
The fired FBI director drew attention earlier this month after posting an image to Instagram showing seashells arranged to spell “8647,” accompanied by the caption, “Cool shell formation on my beach walk.” Some administration officials believe the message was aimed at President Donald Trump.
The term “86,” originally from restaurant and hospitality jargon, generally means to remove, reject, or eliminate someone or something, according to Merriam-Webster. Collins Dictionary further notes that it can also imply killing or executing a person.
The number “47” is commonly understood to refer to Trump, the 47th president of the United States.