FBI director Kash Patel mentioned on Friday that a significant step forward has been made in the investigation into the origins of Covid-19, particularly after Dr. Anthony Fauci, who played a key role during the early pandemic days, recovered a device, including a mobile phone.
Fauci, regarded as a leading medical figure during the pandemic, is under investigation as part of a broader effort to understand how Covid-19 began and how America responded to it.
On a podcast with Joe Rogan, Patel revealed that the FBI had struggled to locate the device that Fauci used at the start of the pandemic in 2020, but it seems it has come to light recently.
“They were actively searching for the phones and devices he utilized back during Trump’s administration when Covid hit, and until just two days ago, nobody found it,” Patel stated during the episode.
However, he cautioned that the contents of the device might be unimportant or could be gone for a long time.
“Anyone listening shouldn’t jump to any conclusions that everything is intact. It might have been erased, but at least we found it. So now it’s important we can tell people what we’re investigating,” he said.
Throughout the pandemic, Fauci faced criticism, particularly from Republicans, including Trump, who constantly shifted his stance on public safety measures.
The most severe wave of the pandemic occurred from March 2020 into the summer, during the final stretch of Trump’s first term.
Hours before Trump left office in January, former President Biden granted Fauci protection from potential prosecution, a move that Biden characterized as necessary in the face of a changing political landscape.
Trump criticized Biden’s actions, claiming they were “vague and ineffective” regarding the true state of the Covid-19 situation.
Fauci’s protection is still in effect.
Additionally, both the FBI and CIA have suggested that Covid-19 likely originated from a lab leak in Wuhan, China, where various coronavirus experiments were conducted prior to the pandemic.
This lab leak theory was dismissed as a conspiracy during the pandemic. Fauci has been accused of downplaying evidence regarding this theory, something he denied last year while speaking to a House committee focused on the coronavirus pandemic.
