Page:CTRL0000034609 - Transcribed Interview of Kashyap Pramod Patel, (December 9, 2021).pdf/34

34 Do you have a transcript for that? Sorry. Or is it in here?

Yeah, it's—I can give you the date of the Epoch Times statement. It would be July 9, 2021.

So I haven't—if that's the transcript, you know, if there's a transcript of it, we're happy to look at it. I haven't looked at that.

Of your own statement? You don't remember making that to Epoch Times?

Well, it was 6 months ago. I'm not saying I did not make it or did make it; I'm just saying, outside of what you provided, I don't have any other context for that conversation.

Okay.

But, if I made that statement to the Epoch Times and the transcript shows that, then I would, of course, stand by it. But I haven't had a chance to review it.

Sure. We can get it printed for you so you can look at that before. My question is, at that time, in July, apparently, you did have a memory about being on these phone calls and made it a point to say that the Director of the FBI was the only person missing from those phone calls.

That's accurate. So, from some of the phone calls that I remembered at that time and from my memory today, I don't recall Director Wray being on those phone calls with the interagency Cabinet Secretaries and heads of agencies.

And why was that significant to you?

We—I believe, from my best recollection, is that after DOJ and FBI had been designated the lead law enforcement agency, I, as chief of staff for Acting Secretary of Defense, wanted him to have a direct line of contact with his counterpart, the Director of the FBI. And we—if what you're reading is correct, and I have no reason to doubt it, I