Video from a statement by Amy Klobuchar
Sen. Amy Klobuchar's and Sen. Peter Welch's questions to FBI Director Kash Patel about FBI agents and polling places, at the Senate Judiciary Committee's Sept. 15, 2026 FBI oversight hearing.
Two excerpts joined by a one-second black gap: 1:56:46 to 1:58:09 and 2:40:47 to 2:43:53 of the committee's archived hearing video. DI added its logo in the corner.
Video: U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Public domain (U.S. government work) (opens in a new tab)
Klobuchar put it to Patel that Justice Department guidance bars FBI agents from conducting investigations inside polling places and gives federal prosecutors no authority to send agents or marshals there, and asked him to commit to following that law and policy. Patel said he was aware of the guidance and that the FBI would always follow the law and the guidelines.
“Are you aware of the Justice Department’s longstanding guidance that states that FBI agents cannot conduct investigations inside polling places on election day and that federal prosecutors have no authority to send FBI special agents or deploy US marshals to polling places?” … “And so will you commit to following clear federal law and DOJ policy and not deploy federal agents to polling places?”