FBI catches more ‘most wanted’ fugitives in past year than during Biden’s entire term

By Jerry McConway
updated on January 19, 2026

When Kash Patel was named director of the FBI, Democrats just about lost their minds.

Even today, with a growing record of shocking success, Democrats and the media continue to attack him.

Just one year into Donald Trump’s term, Kash Patel’s FBI has already caught more “most wanted” fugitives than former Director Christopher Wray captured during the entirety of Joe Biden’s term.

Big bust in Baltimore

As an example of the success that Patel has had, a massive bust was reported this week in drug-infested Baltimore.

A joint operation between the FBI, DEA, and local and state law enforcement officials produced the arrest of 11 men who were charged with committing drug trafficking and weapons offenses.

The seizure netted nine kilos of narcotics as well as $55,000 in cash.

Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, stated, "This investigation sends a message that law enforcement will not allow drug-trafficking organizations, and other groups connected to driving violence, to freely operate in our neighborhoods.”

Discrediting Patel

While Patel’s FBI continues to notch these huge arrests, the media and Democrats seem to be focused solely on the cases filed against Trump’s political enemies.

For example, the New York Times just ran a feature piece that was titled: “Under Patel, F.B.I. Scours Its Records to Discredit Trump Opponents.”

The report started, “Agents now scour the F.B.I.’s vast holdings to root out negative information about those who once investigated President Trump, according to current and former officials, lawmakers and lawyers representing some of those targeted.”

I am not so naïve as to think that the president did not order Patel to get his enemies, but we cannot look past the clear efforts made by the Biden administration to go after Trump and his allies, especially those in Congress. As Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) recently noted, “Arctic Frost was a runaway train that swept up information from hundreds of innocent people simply because of their political affiliation.”

Getting the job done

I honestly have no problem with the media reporting on the DOJ takedown of those who went after Trump, but I do have a problem that the media and Democrats are completely overlooking the success the FBI has had in going after the bad guys more broadly.

In Patel’s first year at his post, the FBI has captured five of the top 10 most wanted criminals on its list, some of whom had evaded justice for decades.

In September, Patel noted, "We’ve captured at the FBI 4 of the most top 10 wanted fugitives in the world in 7 months. To put that in perspective, that’s as many as my predecessor nabbed in the entirety of the Biden administration. We got 4 — we got more coming."

And that does not include busts like the one with which we opened this report or the many child sex offender stings the agency has conducted to get these sick criminals off the streets and behind bars. You can complain all you want about Patel and company looking for revenge, but at least they are capable of multitasking, unlike those leading the agency during the Biden era.

About Jerry McConway

Jerry McConway is the Senior Editorial Director at American Digest Media, as well as the featured columnist on Real Talk Digest. He has been covering politics for more than a decade. His no-nonsense writing style makes him enemy number one in DC. His mission is to tell the truth to readers, good or bad, something the mainstream media has failed to do for decades. What sets Jerry apart from his competition is reader loyalty. They don't always agree with him, but they know he tells them the truth. Love him or hate him, you can't ignore him.

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