The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) launched an inquiry into a New York Times reporter last month following a story that detailed how FBI Director Kash Patel provides round-the-clock security and transportation to his girlfriend, country singer Alexis Wilkins.
Reporter Elizabeth Williamson was reportedly investigated for potential violations of federal stalking laws, according to the Times, which cited a source familiar with the matter. The report noted that some Department of Justice employees viewed the investigation as retaliation by Patel against Williamson.
However, the bureau told the outlet that “while investigators were concerned about how the aggressive reporting techniques crossed lines of stalking,” it was not pursuing a case against the reporter. According to the report, there was only one phone call exchange between Williamson and Wilkins, though the writer also contacted several people who had worked with or knew Wilkins.
First Amendment Concerns Raised
“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, the Times’ executive editor. “It’s alarming. It’s unconstitutional. And it’s wrong.”
The Article in Question
Williamson’s Feb. 28 article was an in-depth examination of the protective detail assigned to Wilkins, which included federal SWAT team members pulled from FBI field offices nationwide. These agents were assigned to follow her to concerts and, in one instance, to a hair appointment.
Patel denied in an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity that he used the bureau to have Williamson investigated. “Absolutely not,” Patel told Hannity, before adding, “This same reporter delivered a baseless story which caused a direct threat-of-life to my girlfriend.”
Alden Welch Ruml, 26, of Massachusetts, was arrested last month after allegedly sending Wilkins an email saying he would be “happy” when her face is “canoed by an assault rifle,” and told the singer to “watch your back.” Ruml pleaded not guilty last month and faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison if convicted, according to Reuters.
Patel told Hannity he directly blamed the Times story for Ruml’s actions against his girlfriend of three years. “We are going to protect not only me and my loved ones but every American that is threatened.”
Previous Questions About Resource Use
The FBI director’s use of federal resources has previously been questioned, including taking an FBI plane to fly to Italy, where he attended the men’s gold medal hockey game and was seen partying with Team USA afterward. The FBI denied accusations that Patel was on a personal trip, stating it was there to play a major role in Olympic security, and that the director’s trip was planned months in advance to meet Italian law enforcement officials and the U.S. ambassador to Italy.
Patel’s Defamation Lawsuit
It has been a busy week for Patel as he takes on the media. He sued The Atlantic and reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick for $250 million over a report that alleged Patel has “alarmed colleagues with episodes of excessive drinking and unexplained absences.” Fitzpatrick included in the article FBI agents’ accounts of allegedly having to seek “SWAT-level breaching equipment” when they could not rouse Patel from his room.
The defamation lawsuit, filed Monday morning in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia, states that The Atlantic “published these statements with actual malice.” Patel denied the accusations in a press conference on Tuesday, saying, “I’ve never been intoxicated on the job. Any one of you that wants to participate, bring it on — I’ll see you in court.” The Atlantic called the suit “meritless,” adding it will “vigorously defend The Atlantic and our journalists.”
