FBI Director Kash Patel announced a development this week in the ongoing federal probe into Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and one of the central figures in the U.S. pandemic response.
Speaking on the latest episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience,” Patel disclosed that agents recently recovered mobile devices used by Fauci during the early days of the COVID-19 outbreak.
The devices, long sought by investigators, were allegedly used while Fauci served under President Trump during the initial phase of the pandemic.
“We just had a great breakthrough this week on Fauci,” Patel told Rogan in the episode released Friday. “They had always been looking for phones and devices he used while he was back in Trump one during COVID, and nobody had found it until two days ago.”
Patel urged caution, however, warning against premature speculation. “Everybody listening to us shouldn’t jump to the conclusion [that] everything’s in there,” he said.
“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.”
Trump and a number of his allies have long maintained that Fauci misled the American public about both the origins of the virus and the rationale behind sweeping mandates and shutdowns.
Those concerns gained more traction when former President Biden issued a preemptive pardon covering Fauci for actions taken from 2014 through the end of Biden’s term.
Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) had previously called for Fauci to be jailed, accusing him of playing a role in the virus’s spread through controversial lab research in China.
Fauci, for his part, has rejected accusations of wrongdoing. In his testimony before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic last year, he claimed to have followed scientific guidance available at the time and denied suppressing the lab-leak theory.
Despite the public scrutiny, Patel made clear that his focus lies in facts, not opinion. “We think that there was definite foul play, but my opinion is irrelevant,” he said. “It only matters what I can show the American people and prove.”
Patel noted that his team is working methodically and not making premature promises. “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,'” he added.
Midway through the Rogan interview, the conversation took an unexpected turn when tech mogul Elon Musk entered the fray with a provocative tweet about Trump amidst their disastrous falling out.
Musk alleged that President Trump’s name appears in the sealed Epstein files, suggesting that this is why Attorney General Pam Bondi has yet to release them.
Time to drop the really big bomb:@realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public.
Have a nice day, DJT!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025
“Time to drop the really big bomb,” Musk tweeted. “[Donald Trump] is in the Epstein files. That’s the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT.”
Rogan reacted with disbelief. “Jesus Christ,” he said after reading the tweet on air. “That’s a crazy thing to say. How does he know? Does he know that Donald Trump is in the Epstein files? Or does he have access to the Epstein files?”
Caught off guard, Patel distanced himself from the discussion. “I’m not participating in any of that conversation between Elon and Trump,” he responded.
“I’m just staying out of the Trump-Elon thing; that’s way outside my lane. I know my lane, and that ain’t it.”
Rogan directly asked Patel whether there was video footage from Epstein’s private island. Patel confirmed its existence but stated, “not of what you want.”
He hinted that the content did not show “some guy or gal committing felonies” but stopped short of providing names.
“If I had it, I’d be the first guy to bring this case hard and fast,” Patel said, adding that his team has reviewed all material legally accessible to them from the island investigation
Watch Patel’s full interview on “The Joe Rogan Experience” here:
