Federal investigators have reportedly made a major breakthrough in their efforts to uncover the truth behind the federal government’s COVID-era decision-making. According to FBI Director Kash Patel, agents have located Anthony Fauci’s original government-issued phones and devices, finally opening the door to examining internal communications from the height of the pandemic.

Patel shared the update on “The Joe Rogan Experience” Friday, explaining that the devices were tied to Fauci’s time under President Trump during the early COVID response. Patel confirmed that the FBI is currently conducting “multiple investigations” into Fauci-related matters, including possible concealment of federal records and efforts to mislead the public about the origins of the virus.

“We just had a great breakthrough this week on Fauci,” Patel told Rogan. “They had always been looking for Fauci’s original phones … and nobody had found it until two days ago.”

While Patel cautioned that the contents of the phones are not yet known—some data may be deleted—he emphasized that simply locating the devices is a major step forward. “At least we found it. At least now we can tell the American people we’ve been looking.”

Fauci, who served as the longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has faced increasing scrutiny from Republicans over the past few years. Lawmakers like Sen. Rand Paul have alleged that Fauci made false statements under oath regarding NIH funding for gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. A 2024 congressional investigation revealed that some of Fauci’s top advisers may have tried to delete incriminating emails and used deliberate misspellings to evade FOIA requests.

“We’re on the case,” Patel said, adding that the FBI is working closely with the Senate on document recovery.

The recovered communications could shed light on whether Fauci knowingly misled the American people about the origins of COVID-19 or sought to manipulate scientific narratives behind closed doors. Patel alluded to this, telling Rogan that if Fauci “intentionally misled the world and caused countless deaths,” the public deserves to know.

The investigation appears to be focused not just on Fauci himself but on a broader group of federal scientists and bureaucrats who coordinated pandemic messaging. Patel confirmed three FBI field offices are involved, and Just The News reports the probes are centered on the concealment of federal records, origins of the pandemic, and obstruction of congressional oversight.

Critics have long suspected that critical decisions about lockdowns, mask mandates, and vaccine development were shaped by bureaucrats more interested in power and cover-up than science and transparency. Patel’s announcement suggests the FBI is now treating those concerns as potentially criminal matters.

Compounding the controversy, Fauci’s wife Christine Grady—an NIH bioethicist—was recently removed from her role after failing to investigate ethical issues surrounding the agency’s Wuhan-linked research. That move, critics say, further illustrates how deeply embedded and unaccountable some COVID-era officials became.

Patel’s announcement has triggered a wave of speculation about what might be revealed. While no charges have been filed, the recovered phones could become a critical piece of evidence in the larger puzzle of how the U.S. government handled its most consequential public health crisis in a century.

As the investigations move forward, Americans may finally get a clearer picture of what was said, decided, and potentially hidden during the most chaotic months of the pandemic.