FBI Director Grilled on Trump's 2020 Election Claims

Kash Patel says they have evidence to back up Trump's rigged election allegations.

Apr. 19, 2026 at 5:21pm

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A dynamic, abstract painting of a ballot box in motion, with overlapping geometric shapes and waves of red, white, and blue, conceptually representing the ongoing political debate over the 2020 election results.The FBI's investigation into Trump's claims of a 'rigged' 2020 election continues to stir political tensions.NYC Today

In a contentious interview on Fox News, FBI Director Kash Patel was pressed by anchor Maria Bartiromo on whether he has 'any information to verify' President Trump's repeated claims that the 2020 election was rigged. Patel claimed they have uncovered evidence of wrongdoing and are working with the Department of Justice, but said he couldn't get ahead of the ongoing investigation.

Why it matters

Trump's false claims of a 'rigged' election have continued to fuel division and erode trust in US democratic institutions. Bartiromo's grilling of Patel, a Trump loyalist, highlights the ongoing political tensions around the 2020 election results.

The details

Patel, who previously worked with Trump allies like Devin Nunes, told Bartiromo that he has found 'rooms that they hid from the world' and 'restricted and prohibited case files' related to the 2020 election. He said they are building a 'conspiracy case' and will be making arrests soon, but could not provide specifics due to the ongoing investigation.

  • Patel has been with the FBI for 14 months.

The players

Maria Bartiromo

Fox News anchor who conducted the interview with Patel.

Kash Patel

FBI Director who previously worked with Trump allies like Devin Nunes and is now investigating Trump's claims of a 'rigged' 2020 election.

Donald Trump

Former US President who has repeatedly claimed the 2020 election was 'rigged' without evidence.

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What they’re saying

“We are not going to take this and have not taken this laying down. We did already indict former director Comey, and that's going through the judicial process, but we also at this FBI. Even though we uncovered what we uncovered back in the House Intel days, I had to come in here and find rooms that they hid from the world. I had come in here to find access on our computer systems in restricted and prohibited case files that they purposely put in places for no one to see and find.”

— Kash Patel, FBI Director

What’s next

Patel said that arrests related to the 2020 election investigation are 'coming soon'.

The takeaway

The ongoing political tensions around the 2020 election results continue to dominate the national discourse, with Trump's unsubstantiated claims of fraud fueling division and eroding trust in democratic institutions.