The FBI director said a secured room containing sensitive materials tied to the Russia investigation was not listed on official building plans and was initially inaccessible.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
FBI Director Kash Patel said he located a secured room at FBI headquarters containing materials associated with the agency’s investigation into alleged ties between President Donald Trump and Russia, but noted the space was not identified on official building blueprints.
Speaking during an appearance on “Hang Out with Sean Hannity,” Patel said the room contained multiple “burn bags,” typically used to destroy classified information. He described the space as locked and inaccessible when first discovered.
“They weren’t burned, but the room was also off the map. It wasn’t on our blueprint, and nobody had access to it,” Patel said, according to remarks reported here.
The director said the bags held documents connected to the FBI’s “Crossfire Hurricane” investigation, which examined potential coordination between Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russian officials.
Former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino previously discussed the same location, saying he had identified a bag containing what he described as a significant collection of documents related to the probe.
“I’m reading this document, and I’m like, ‘I can’t believe this happened in the United States.’ It wasn’t just that it happened in the United States, it was that so many people knew about it,” Bongino said during the interview. “All you had to do was read it. This thing was bulls— from the start.”
Bongino suggested the documents may have been intentionally preserved rather than destroyed, indicating they could have been left for eventual discovery.
The remarks come amid broader scrutiny of the origins and handling of the Russia investigation. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has previously alleged that officials during the Barack Obama administration advanced claims about Russian election interference that she said were known to be inaccurate.
In response to those claims, the Department of Justice opened a grand jury investigation. Earlier this year, prosecutors also issued a subpoena to former FBI Director James Comey related to his role in the 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment on Russian election interference.
Patel’s account adds to ongoing inquiries and public debate surrounding the conduct and conclusions of the Crossfire Hurricane investigation.