FBI Director Kash Patel stated that the bureau has evidence supporting President Donald Trump’s claim that the 2020 election was stolen. He indicated that the material might be made public this week.
Patel made this claim during a Fox News interview and urged viewers to stay tuned. He did not provide details about the evidence or specify when it would be released.
Trump has consistently claimed that his 2020 defeat to Joe Biden stemmed from widespread fraud. Courts, election officials, and Trump administration appointees have rejected this assertion, finding no evidence of a stolen election.
The Independent reported that Patel mentioned he had information supporting President Trump’s claim and suggested that more could come in the following days. This report noted that Patel faced scrutiny over reports of unrest within the bureau.
BARTIROMO: I asked you about whether or not you have any information to verify President Trump’s claim that the election was rigged
KASH PATEL: We have the information that backs President Trump’s claim, but I can’t get ahead of the DOJ. President Trump speaks truthfully when he… pic.twitter.com/Zu3Dk11tip
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 19, 2026
Patel’s remarks bring back a key point from Trump’s post-election campaign. Trump and his supporters spread allegations of fraud after the election, which fueled the brief “Stop the Steal” movement. They pressured state and federal officials to overturn the results.
Critics of the president have called these claims false and dangerous, but the president has continued to insist, even into his second term, that the election was stolen from him. Patel did not clarify whether the evidence pertained to voter fraud, foreign interference, or another issue related to the election.
This comes after Patel, the subject of an article by The Atlantic, which claimed his tenure as FBI director has been clouded by excessive drinking and absences from work. Patel denied these claims and has hit back with a $250 million defamation lawsuit.
In previous comments, Patel has referred to documents related to alleged Chinese interference in the 2020 election. In June 2025, he stated that the FBI had uncovered documents claiming that the Chinese Communist Party was involved in a scheme related to fake driver’s licenses and mail-in ballots.
Memo to the fake news – the only time I’ll ever actually be concerned about the hit piece lies you write about me will be when you stop. Keep talking, it means I’m doing exactly what I should be doing. And no amount of BS you write will ever deter this FBI from making America…
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) April 18, 2026
At that time, the bureau indicated that the material included unverified claims from a confidential source and that no public evidence had surfaced showing widespread or systematic voter fraud that changed the election outcome.
This latest claim is likely to heighten the discussion about the FBI’s role under Patel and how much of its work should be made public. Patel did not indicate whether the evidence would be released by the FBI, shared with Congress, or presented through another means.
The White House did not comment immediately on Patel’s statement at the time of writing this report. Trump’s electoral defeat led to a movement culminating in the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, where his supporters attempted to obstruct Congress from certifying Biden’s victory.
Patel’s comments arise amid ongoing partisan disputes over election integrity and the management of federal investigations related to Trump. For now, the FBI chief has only promised that more information may be revealed soon.
