FBI Director Kash Patel has presented evidence to Congress alleging that former FBI leadership suppressed an investigation into Chinese interference in the 2020 presidential election, according to exclusive reporting from Daily Mail. The claims center on accusations that former FBI Director Christopher Wray lied under oath to Congress about the extent of Chinese election interference efforts.
Patel revealed that the FBI field office in Albany, New York, had produced an Internal Intelligence Report examining allegations that the Chinese Communist Party was creating fraudulent driver’s licenses to obtain paper ballots during the 2020 election. According to Patel’s findings, FBI headquarters recalled this report without justification after its publication, with correspondence indicating the report was pulled because it would contradict Wray’s congressional testimony.
The investigation allegedly focused on the Chinese Communist Party’s use of TikTok social media accounts to facilitate the creation of fake driver’s licenses as part of efforts to obtain fraudulent ballots. Current FBI officials discovered the suppressed report while reviewing actions taken by former leadership, finding documentation that showed the Internal Intelligence Report was withdrawn specifically because it would prove Wray had not been truthful in his testimony to Congress.
During a Senate hearing in September 2020, Wray was questioned by Democratic Senator Gary Peters of Michigan about the security of voting by mail. Wray responded that the FBI takes all election threats seriously and investigates threat accuracy, but insisted the bureau had not seen any coordinated national voter fraud effort in major elections. Patel now contends this testimony was deliberately false and that Wray intentionally misled lawmakers under oath.
Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa wrote to Patel on June 17, requesting additional information about the concealed report to better understand the decision behind rescinding it. In response, Patel detailed how his current FBI leadership found correspondence explaining that the Internal Intelligence Report was removed because it would contradict the former director’s congressional testimony about Chinese interference activities.
Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino issued a joint statement indicating that previous FBI leadership chose to play politics and withhold key information from the American people, exposing what they characterized as weaponization of law enforcement for political purposes during the 2020 election season. They pledged aggressive transparency and committed to working to restore the FBI to a trusted institution.
The FBI’s Foreign Influence Task Force reportedly did not approve reissuance of the Internal Intelligence Report after it was pulled, despite investigators finding corroborating intergovernmental reporting. Patel indicated that investigators found no information showing the task force properly investigated the reported information or followed logical investigative leads related to the Chinese Communist Party’s alleged activities.
Patel promised accountability for those who attempted to bury the report and continued pushing claims that there was no legitimate evidence of Chinese Communist Party foreign influence campaigns targeting the 2020 presidential election. The current FBI director vowed to take action against former officials involved in what he characterized as the suppression of critical intelligence.
The allegations represent part of Patel’s broader critique of what he terms the “deep state,” a theme that has been central to his rise within Trump’s political circle. Patel has consistently argued that federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies have been weaponized against political opponents and require fundamental transformation.
Patel’s background includes work as a federal public defender in Florida, a Justice Department prosecutor, and congressional staffer. His standing with Trump and loyalists increased significantly after writing a memo accusing FBI officials of political bias during the investigation of possible collusion between Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia. While a Department of Justice inspector general report later found abuses related to surveillance of Trump aide Carter Page, it uncovered no evidence of political bias driving the FBI’s Russia investigation.
The current FBI director has made clear his intention to pursue what he views as accountability measures for former officials. Patel has stated, “We’re going to come after you,” referring to those he believes participated in what he characterizes as efforts to undermine Trump’s presidency through improper investigations.
Current and former Justice Department, FBI, and intelligence officials have expressed concerns about potential criminal investigations under Patel’s leadership. A dozen such officials told NBC News they fear Patel would use his position to investigate Trump’s perceived adversaries, though they maintain they committed no crimes and expect federal judges to dismiss meritless charges.
The revelations about the suppressed Chinese interference investigation add another dimension to ongoing debates about the politicization of federal law enforcement agencies. Patel’s accusations suggest a pattern of selective disclosure and suppression of intelligence that contradicted preferred narratives during the 2020 election period.
