In a detailed sit-down on FOX News Media’s Hang Out with Sean Hannity podcast, FBI Director Kash Patel laid out a series of significant developments within the Bureau, ranging from the discovery of hidden evidence at headquarters to a massive spike in violent crime arrests during 2025.
One of the most striking revelations involved the discovery of an undocumented room within the FBI’s own headquarters. Patel described finding a space that did not appear on official building blueprints and was inaccessible to current staff.
Inside, investigators reportedly found “burn bags”—large paper bags used for the destruction of classified materials—that remained unburnt, along with computer hard drives.
Patel stated that these materials point toward what he termed a “Grand Conspiracy” to weaponize federal law enforcement against political rivals.
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“We found that room that Dan Bongino talked about,” Patel said, adding that the evidence suggests a continuation of efforts first seen during the investigation into the Steele dossier. “It wasn’t on our blueprint, and nobody had access to it… I know that these people put things in places for us to never find.”
The interview also touched on the Bureau’s immediate response to the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Patel, who was on-site during the event, described a rapid interagency effort to subdue the suspect. He noted that the FBI stood up a national crisis coordination center and a mobile command center at the Hilton Hotel within minutes.
Addressing concerns from Hannity regarding the “assassination culture” following attempts on President Trump’s life and the death of Charlie Kirk, Patel emphasized that the FBI is actively re-examining protection strategies.
“We’re always looking on what we can be doing better, especially when it comes to safeguarding the president,” Patel noted, while highlighting that the suspect in the Correspondents’ Dinner shooting was interrogated by FBI agents while being transported to the hospital.
On the topic of domestic safety, Patel reported that the FBI arrested 40,000 violent criminals in 2025—a 112% increase over 2024. He attributed this surge to a shift in resources and a directive to “crush violent crime” across the country, specifically mentioning successful operations in cities like Washington D.C., Memphis, and San Francisco.
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Technologically, Patel claimed the Bureau has undergone a massive modernization by implementing Artificial Intelligence.
He credited AI with preventing potential tragedies, stating the technology allowed the FBI to triage tips fast enough to stop a school massacre in North Carolina and another school shooting in New York. “AI was never used at the FBI until we got there,” Patel claimed. “Now those hits are instantaneous.”
The Director also provided updates on national security and counter-intelligence, reporting a 47% increase in arrests related to Chinese espionage, including cases involving U.S. Navy sailors and a member of Delta Force.
On the global stage, Patel noted that within his first two weeks in office, the FBI worked with Pakistani authorities to capture the Abbey Gate bomber responsible for the deaths of 13 U.S. service members during the Afghanistan withdrawal.
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