Declare:
Throughout a Home Judiciary Committee listening to in March 2026, Democratic U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu of California performed an audio recording of FBI Director Kash Patel admitting he was instructed to “bury” the Jeffrey Epstein investigation.
Ranking:
Ranking: False
In March 2026, a rumor circulated on-line that Democratic U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu of California performed an audio recording throughout a Home Judiciary Committee listening to that allegedly captured FBI Director Kash Patel admitting he was instructed to “bury” the investigation into convicted intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein.
For instance, one Fb publish (archived) shared on March 11 claimed Patel “was caught on tape admitting that he was instructed to bury the Epstein investigation simply 11 days into his tenure.” The publish additional alleged that Patel invoked his Fifth Modification proper in opposition to self-incrimination.
Different examples of the declare appeared on Threads and Fb, and a number of Snopes readers contacted us to ask whether or not the rumor was true.
(Morning Present through Fb)
We first used serps corresponding to Bing, DuckDuckGo, Google and Yahoo to find attainable proof from credible sources about Lieu taking part in an audio recording of Patel throughout a listening to. If the story had been true, journalists with respected information retailers, corresponding to The Related Press or Reuters, would have broadly reported on it. That was not the case.
As a substitute, the rumor was fictional. It originated from a Fb web page known as Morning Present, which hyperlinks to weblog pages that use synthetic intelligence instruments to create inspiring or surprising tales about public figures. Due to this fact, we have rated this declare false.
Creators of such content material capitalize on social media customers’ willingness to consider and share the made-up tales, taking advantage of promoting income on exterior web sites to which the posts hyperlink. (Snopes has beforehand reported on the enterprise technique.)
We reached out to the supervisor of the Morning Present web page to ask why it had created the false story about Lieu’s audio proof in opposition to Patel and not using a disclaimer noting its inauthenticity. The contact electronic mail offered bounced again, additional indicating the web page would not share genuine content material. We’ll replace this story if we obtain a response.
Some posts spreading the false rumor about Lieu and Patel included hyperlinks within the feedback sections to articles on WordPress blogs. The feedback promised extra particulars in regards to the alleged audio recording within the hyperlinks. For instance, one publish promoted this advertisement-filled story.
The article’s textual content included clear indicators of AI technology, together with emotionally charged however imprecise language and incorrect particulars. For instance, the article alleged the proof was revealed throughout a Home Judiciary Committee listening to on March 10, 2026, however the U.S. Congress’s official calendar confirmed no such assembly was held on that day.
GPTZero, a instrument that goals to detect AI-generated textual content, additionally decided with 100% certainty that the article’s textual content was AI-generated.
(GPTZero)
Allow us to observe right here: These kind of AI detection instruments are fallible. Snopes cautions folks in opposition to utilizing them for definitive solutions on media’s authenticity with out supporting proof.
Snopes has debunked comparable rumors earlier than. For instance, in March 2026, we traced the supply of a false story a couple of tunnel community below a luxurious mansion owned by “outstanding immigration attorneys” in Minneapolis that unfold through comparable strategies.
Sources:
“Committee Schedule.” Congress.Gov, United States Congress, 10 Mar. 2026, https://www.congress.gov/committee-schedule/each day/2026/03/10.