A New York Times report noted that one of their reporters, Elizabeth Williamson, was probed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) last month after she put out a story about their chief, Kash Patel and his girlfriend, Alexis Wilkins.
Williamson’s story was about Patel’s use of bureau personnel to provide Wilkins with security and transportation, the publication noted. Wilkins was interviewed and databases were checked for information on Williamson, and agents recommended moving forth to determine if she broke federal stalking laws.
Notably, Patel has come under scrutiny over the use of FBI resources for his girlfriend. Reports had also come out claiming Patel took the FBI jet to his girlfriend’s concert. While many within the FBI pushed back against the idea about pursuing a case against Williamson, here is what Wilkins said about the NYT reporter.
Alexis Wilkins on Elizabeth Williamson
Wilkins vented about Williamson just days before the NYT report on its journalist having faced a FBI probe. “My stalker Elizabeth Williamson,” Wilkins began her message.
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She said that Williamson thought she had a scoop but that was not the case. “was at a fentanyl families roundtable because I work with fentanyl and angel families regularly through @TABSReport and my ongoing engagement with these families. Thank you @DaveMcCormickPA for having me – it was an honor to be part of an event on a topic that matters greatly to me and meet families that I haven’t met before as they courageously tell their stories,” Wilkins wrote.
Patel’s girlfriend then continued “I do this work for the families and not for the salivating media. Funny – I didn’t see the New York Times at the press conference I spoke at with @AbrahamHamadeh’s office launching a memorial for fentanyl and angel families who’ve lost loved ones to illegal immigrant crime. You’d think someone who’s built a career on empathy for Sandy Hook families might show the same concern for families destroyed by the border crisis. Care to comment, Elizabeth?.”
The FBI also told NYT “while investigators were concerned about how the aggressive reporting techniques crossed lines of stalking,” they still were not pursuing a case. Joseph Kahn, the executive editor of The Times said “The F.B.I.’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. It’s alarming. It’s unconstitutional. And it’s wrong.”
