Alexis Wilkins, left, and FBI Director Kash Patel
FBI agents investigated a New York Times reporter who uncovered that FBI Director Kash Patel’s girlfriend was being ferried around on taxpayer-funded flights.
The New York Times reported Thursday that agents probed reporter Elizabeth Williamson in March, following the article about Patel that she wrote in February.
The FBI tacitly admitted to the probe, asserting that “investigators were concerned about how the aggressive reporting techniques crossed lines of stalking.”
The Times noted that Williamson made phone calls throughout reporting for the story, including one phone call to Patel’s girlfriend, Alexis Wilkins.
“The FBI’s attempt to criminalize routine reporting is a blatant violation of Elizabeth’s First Amendment rights and another attempt by this administration to prevent journalists from scrutinizing its actions,” said Joseph Kahn, executive editor of the Times.
The revelation that federal agents were deployed in response to an unflattering news story is the latest mess for Patel in a series of highly publicized screw-ups.
Patel, who rose to prominence by writing fan fiction about President Donald Trump, is currently suing The Atlantic for reporting on Patel’s alleged drinking impacting his job performance.
That suit came after a video of Patel partying with the U.S. Men’s Hockey Team went viral. While he was being rowdy with the Olympians, a man was arrested on the grounds of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago, allegedly toting weapons.
Patel has also been under scrutiny for mishandling FBI assets during investigations and for directing agency resources to pursue Trump’s long-debunked election conspiracy theories.
Investigating the Times reporter for basic journalism is in line with Trump’s actions to use the federal government to attack free speech and the freedom of the press.
Details of this episode are surfacing just before the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on April 25. For the first time, Trump will be attending, despite his opposition to journalism. Other anti-First Amendment members of the administration have been invited by CBS, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and senior White House aide Stephen Miller.
Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr, who used his position to remove late-night host Jimmy Kimmel from the air, will also attend as a guest of CBS News’ parent company Paramount Skydance, which is owned by GOP donor David Ellison.
The Times is a prominent member of the White House Correspondents’ Association, though journalists from the paper will only be at the party to report—not to attend as guests.
Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos
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