FBI Director Kash Patel has revealed shocking allegations about Chinese efforts to manipulate the 2020 presidential election through fraudulent identification documents.
According to the Daily Mail, newly declassified intelligence reports claim Chinese officials planned to distribute fake driver's licenses to facilitate fraudulent mail-in voting.
The intelligence report, originally from August 2020, details what officials describe as a "vast conspiracy" allegedly designed to benefit then-Democratic candidate Joe Biden. The document was initially distributed to FBI field offices nationwide but was later recalled within weeks, reportedly to re-interview the source.
Patel announced on social media that the FBI had located documents detailing "alarming allegations" related to the 2020 election, specifically involving potential interference by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). These documents were turned over to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley following his request.
The allegations center around a reported Chinese government plan to manufacture counterfeit U.S. driver's licenses and distribute them within the United States. According to officials who reviewed the intelligence, these fake IDs would allow non-citizens to cast fraudulent votes through mail-in ballots.
Officials familiar with the case claim the operation was specifically designed to help Biden defeat Trump in the closely contested election. The 2020 contest was decided by relatively small margins in several key states, with Biden winning Arizona by approximately 10,000 votes, Georgia by 12,000, and Wisconsin by 20,000.
The intelligence report was initially distributed to FBI offices around the country but was later withdrawn. Officials said the recall occurred to conduct additional interviews with the source, though the timing has raised eyebrows among critics.
The document's withdrawal reportedly came around the same time that then-FBI Director Christopher Wray publicly testified that there were no known election interference operations targeting the 2020 election. According to officials, the FBI advised recipients to "destroy all copies of the original report and remove the original report from all computer holdings."
Senator Grassley's office expressed serious concerns about the document recall process. His office is now requesting additional documentation from the FBI, specifically a report from the FBI's Albany field office dated September 2020, to verify the production and investigate why the document was recalled.
Sources told media outlets that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) intercepted nearly 20,000 fake driver's licenses around the time the intelligence report was produced. This physical evidence appears to align with the intelligence report's warnings.
Patel shared his concerns in a statement accompanying the document release, saying, "These include allegations of plans from the CCP to manufacture fake driver's licenses and ship them into the United States for the purpose of facilitating fraudulent mail-in ballots – allegations which, while substantiated, were abruptly recalled and never disclosed to the public."
The allegations suggest a sophisticated operation targeting the U.S. electoral system. According to the intelligence report, the fake identification documents would enable Chinese residents in the United States to fraudulently participate in the election through mail-in voting, which saw expanded use during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Senator Grassley's office described the document as containing "serious national security concerns that need to be fully investigated by the FBI." The chairman has urged the agency to thoroughly investigate why the document was recalled and who authorized its withdrawal.
Patel, who was appointed FBI Director under President Trump, stated he "immediately declassified the material and turned the document over to the Chairman for further review." The declassification allows congressional oversight of the allegations and the FBI's handling of the intelligence.
The revelation comes amid ongoing debates about election integrity and foreign interference in American elections. While the intelligence report raises serious concerns, it represents allegations that are still under investigation rather than fully proven conclusions.
