Fact Check: Is Barack Obama on Kash Patel’s list of 2020 election rigging suspects?

WASHINGTON, DC: A rumour has been circulating on social media platforms claiming that former President Barack Obama is on FBI Director Kash Patel's list of people responsible for allegedly rigging the 2020 presidential election. The claim has triggered both criticism and speculation, with many questioning its authenticity. Let us analyse and fact-check the claim.

Claim: Barack Obama on Kash Patel's list of people responsible for rigging 2020 election

The claim surfaced following a viral Facebook post that stated, “The top name on Kash Patel's list of people responsible for rigging the 2020 election is none other than former President Barack Obama.”

According to the post, Patel's new Communications Director, Rebecca Wood, said, “He made the decision to oust Trump in 2020 when they engineered the COVID pandemic. That secured mail-in voting across the country, and they went to work.”

"Joe Biden would have been complicit if he had any clue where he was. Kamala knew. She knew everything,” she allegedly said.

Fact Check: The claim originated as satire

Although Patel claimed investigators now have sufficient evidence and are working with the Department of Justice to move forward with charges related to election rigging, no official documents or evidence have yet been made public, and authorities have not confirmed the scope of any impending arrests.

A search for the claim yielded no credible reports by any prominent news media outlets about Obama being named in the alleged election fraud.

There are also no official statements or announcements from Patel or the FBI naming the former president in the alleged fraud.

Moreover, the claim stemmed from a Facebook post by a parody account named ‘America’s Last Line of Defense,’ which states in its bio that ‘nothing on this page is real.’

Hence, the claim is intended as satire, for the sake of engagement.

Kash Patel alleges ‘de facto coup’

The claim surfaced after Patel said on April 19 that arrests could soon be made in connection with what he described as a “de facto coup” against President Donald Trump.

Patel said federal investigators have gathered key information and are coordinating closely with prosecutors, including Attorney General Todd Blanche, to pursue legal action.

“We have found all this information. We are working with our Department of Justice partners, and I am never going to let this go,” Patel said.

“They not only have personally attacked the presidency of the United States and President Trump, but they tried to thwart our elections and rig the entire system.”