Kash Patel: Director of the FBI under the second Trump administration and former chief of staff at the Department of Defense. A former federal public defender and DOJ prosecutor, he was the lead congressional investigator on the 'Russia Gate' FISA probe and wrote the book Government Gangsters.
What this episode covers
In his first long-form interview about 100 days as FBI Director, Kash Patel describes reorienting the bureau toward what he calls its core mission: stopping fentanyl, violent crime, and threats to national security. He blames the CCP for supplying fentanyl precursors and details efforts to pressure China, India, Mexico, and Five Eyes partners. He revisits Russia Gate, the Hunter Biden laptop '51 intel' letter, the Richmond Catholic memo, COVID origins, and January 6, arguing the FBI and media were politically weaponized. He addresses the Epstein case at length, maintaining the evidence shows suicide while promising to release footage. He also covers Chinese agro-terrorism, foreign land purchases near military bases, and his push to let 'good cops be cops.'
The guest's own work
Government Gangsters
Kash Patel
“Government gangsters. Government Gangsters by Cash Patel. Go buy it. Plugged. You didn't plug it. I did.”— Kash Patel
Also referenced (named, not recommended)
Autopsy (HBO)
HBO
“Do you remember that HBO autopsy show, Dr. Michael Baden? He's a famous forensic... So, he's a pathologist and he reviewed the case”— Joe Rogan
Big reveals from this episode
- Patel claims the CCP openly says it doesn't make fentanyl, but ships 14+ precursors to Mexican cartels.
- Says cartels now fly precursors to Vancouver, Canada to manufacture and distribute fentanyl after the southern border was tightened.
- Claims he found a hidden room in the Hoover building full of documents and hard drives Comey and others locked away.
- Says his own house was 'swatted' the day before the interview.
- Insists Epstein killed himself and that he would 'bring this case hard and fast' if he had any evidence of murder.
- Reveals investigators found Anthony Fauci's COVID-era phones/devices 'two days ago.'
- Says the FBI arrested three of the world's top-10 most wanted fugitives, including the Abbey Gate bomber, in his first months.
- Live on air, Joe reads Elon Musk's tweet claiming Trump is in the Epstein files; Patel refuses to engage.
Worth remembering
- Patel says ~100,000 Americans were dying of drug overdoses a year, one every seven minutes.
- Claims a child was being raped every six and a half minutes and there were two homicides an hour in the US.
- Says he's moving 1,500 FBI agents and analysts out of Washington DC into the field.
- States Trump's first term brought home over 50 hostages and detainees, more than every prior president combined.
- Claims Andy McCabe's wife received about $600,000 from Hillary Clinton world for a Virginia campaign.
- Describes the Epstein autopsy dispute as a classic 'war of experts' between Dr. Baden and the city medical examiner.
- Says line-of-duty deaths are down over 15% and the murder rate is down ~20% year over year.
- Recounts a University of Michigan researcher accused of smuggling a crop-destroying fungus as agro-terrorism.
- Says Trump preemptively authorized 10,000-20,000 National Guard before Jan 6, but DC Mayor Bowser and Speaker Pelosi declined in writing.
- Cites the CCP's 'Salt Typhoon' breach of US telecommunications providers as a major ongoing cyber threat.