Senator Richard Blumenthal demanded that the FBI not deploy agents to polling locations on or around Election Day.

Posted by The Dan Bongino Show, Sep 16, 2026Checked Nov 2, 2026

Polygraph verdictTrue

Sources: 6 support1 context
Said: 1 time·
Confidence: 88%

The Dan Bongino ShowSep 16, 2026

Multiple sources confirm that at the September 15, 2026 Senate Judiciary hearing, Sen. Richard Blumenthal pressed FBI Director Kash Patel to commit that FBI agents would not be sent to the polls on Election Day, which amounts to the demand the claim describes.

This claim is about the present, so it is judged as of the day it was checked.

What we found

Supports. AP reports that at the Sept. 15, 2026 Senate Judiciary hearing Patel suggested agents might be dispatched to the polls on Election Day, and Bloomberg Law reports Blumenthal repeatedly pressed Patel for an unequivocal commitment that agents would not be deployed to polling sites.[1][4]

Supports. A CNN transcript and a New Jersey Monitor report quote Blumenthal asking Patel to commit that the FBI would not send agents to the polls on Election Day, and Blumenthal stating he was dissatisfied with the lack of an unequivocal commitment.[5][6]

Supports. A primary source, a Rep. Krishnamoorthi press release, states that when Blumenthal pressed Patel to commit that zero agents would be present at polling locations, Patel declined to rule that out.[2]

Supports. The Atlantic podcast transcript quotes Blumenthal asking, 'Can you commit to this committee that you will not send FBI agents to the polls on Election Day?', and Patel declining to commit.[3]

Context. Patel's answer was that the FBI 'will follow the law' and would go to polls if there was a violation of law, so the request was not granted; later coverage (CNN, Oct. 30) repeats the same exchange without changing the picture.[7]