FBI Director Kash Patel testifies at a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., United States, on September 17, 2025. Photo by Annabelle Gordon/Reuters.
As informed by CNN
For the second time this year, FBI Director Kash Patel again spoke out to clarify his stance on the MAGA conspiracy theory, which he had previously helped fuel.
This is the second time this year that his views have clashed with criticism from conservative circles and MAGA supporters.
“Put on your grown-up pants and tell which of them are pedophiles.”
Reactions and Consequences
In May, while leading the FBI, he said that the materials in the available documents contained nothing explosive, which angered some MAGA supporters who were hoping for an interpretation more favorable to their position.
This weekend brought new controversy after a leak claimed that 274 FBI agents had been involved in the events of January 6, 2021; conservative media immediately reevaluated the data, hinting that the agents had been “embedded” in the crowd in advance – and that they could have acted as government provocateurs that MAGA has long claimed without substantiation.
Trump sharply characterized this in his posts, describing the information about the agents as “revealed” and hinting at their role as “provocateurs” and “rioters,” but not as “law enforcement officers.”
Subsequently, a document released by the right-wing outlet Just The News indicated that among the 274 agents were those who “responded” to the Capitol riot and threats related to pipe bombs. CNN had previously reported that there were no undercover FBI agents at the Capitol on January 6.
And strikingly, Patel himself proposed the correction: the agents were called in after the events, not beforehand.
“The agents were dispatched on a crowd-control mission after the disturbance had been declared by the Metro Police…”
Later he repeated the stance on X, stressing that the agents were reacting to the attack – not present “before it.”
In his 2023 book Government Gangsters, Patel spoke of “strange agitators” at January 6 and that they “incited the crowd to storm in advance,” noting allegedly provocative individuals that the FBI ignored.
“All signs of cover-up are right out in the open…”
In November 2022, on his podcast, he claimed that the FBI “planned January 6 for an entire year.” In September of that year, he also expressed the view that the FBI used this for political persecution rather than a legal investigation.
Despite the corrections from the FBI director, some MAGA voices continue to call the new data “bombs” and see in them confirmation of a conspiracy.
This public discussion demonstrates how the myths Patel himself once supported remain alive, and how difficult it is to completely debunk them even in the face of clear evidence.
Useful reading:
- FBI Director Kash Patel testified under oath about the Epstein case, highlighting tensions over transparency and government accountability amid political debates in Congress.
- Memorial service honors William Webster, former FBI and CIA director, highlighting his legacy of law, service, and bipartisan leadership.
- Conservative lawyer Maggie Cleary appointed acting U.S. Attorney in Virginia amid political tensions and investigations linked to mortgage fraud and January 6 Capitol events.
