“I don’t know that we can’t legally do it,” Patel says of FBI agents at the polls.

Описание: At the Senate Judiciary Committee's FBI oversight hearing on Sept. 15, 2026, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) asked FBI Director Kash Patel for a commitment that FBI agents will not be deployed to the polls on or around Election Day. Patel said the FBI has an election coordinator in every field office, and: "The FBI will follow the law. If there's a reason to go there because there's been a violation of law, we will. Otherwise we won't." Blumenthal asked whether Patel agreed that deploying FBI agents to the polls would be contrary to law. Patel answered: "I don't know that we can't legally do it. I'm telling you, we're going to house our agents and intel analysts in our field offices for election security." Blumenthal said he was dissatisfied that Patel would not give a clear commitment, and pointed to seven voter-related subpoenas to Nevada's Secretary of State's office and the FBI's seizure of records from Fulton County, Georgia. Patel did not answer that statement in the footage shown; Blumenthal moved on to another question. Left out for length: Patel also said monitoring elections is a priority that "rests with DHS."

The record: a 2024 FBI and Justice Department election-crimes flyer says armed FBI agents may not respond to any location where an election is actively being held, and FBI agents may be armed at a polling place only to cast their own vote; it cites 18 U.S.C. 592. The Nevada Independent reported in September 2026 that the state's Secretary of State's office confirmed seven voter-related FBI subpoenas over three months, with no reason given. ABC News reported that on Jan. 28, 2026 the FBI executed a search warrant at the Fulton County elections hub that covered all physical 2020 ballots; the warrant cites election-records and election-crimes statutes, and in May 2026 a federal judge let the FBI keep the ballots for now.

Sources: Senate Judiciary Committee hearing video and page, Sept. 15, 2026; FBI and Justice Department election-crimes flyer, 2024; 18 U.S.C. 592; The Nevada Independent, Sept. 2026; ABC News, Jan. 29, 2026; Atlanta News First, May 7, 2026.

Source: Senate Judiciary Committee, Sept. 15, 2026, "Oversight of the Federal Bureau of Investigation" (at 2:17:24).

The record: Senate Judiciary Committee FBI oversight hearing page, Sept. 15, 2026; FBI and Justice Department flyer: Federal Election Crimes (2024, hosted by CISA); 18 U.S.C. 592: troops at polls (Cornell Legal Information Institute); The Nevada Independent: Trump administration subpoenas Nevada election officials (updated Sept. 3, 2026); ABC News: FBI raid in Georgia highlights Trump's 2020 election obsession (Jan. 29, 2026); Atlanta News First: federal judge rules FBI can keep Fulton County 2020 ballots for now (May 7, 2026).

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