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The New York Times said the FBI investigated one of its reporters, Elizabeth Williamson, after she published a story that described federal agents assigned to protect and transport FBI Director Kash Patel’s girlfriend, Alexis Wilkins. The newspaper said federal agents ultimately interviewed Wilkins after she raised concern about a death threat that she received after Williamson’s article was published.
In a statement posted on social media, FBI spokesman Ben Williamson said investigators were “concerned about how the aggressive reporting techniques crossed lines of stalking,” but added that “no further action regarding Williamson or the reporting was ever pursued by the FBI.” The FBI said Wednesday that its agents interviewed Wilkins when she expressed concern about the death threat.
The Times said it learned about the FBI’s actions only through a tip given to reporter Michael S. Schmidt. In its reporting, the newspaper said the FBI looked on federal databases for information about Williamson and recommended pursuing it further, but was blocked by the Justice Department.
Joseph Kahn, the Times’ executive editor, criticized the move in a quoted statement. He said the FBI’s attempt to criminalize routine reporting violated Williamson’s First Amendment rights and was “another attempt by this administration to prevent journalists from scrutinizing its actions,” calling it “alarming,” “unconstitutional,” and “wrong.”
The Times said it was not clear whether it has recourse beyond asking a federal inspector general to review whether the FBI’s actions were improper. The paper reported that Williamson briefly interviewed Wilkins during the reporting process, but that the singer insisted the conversation be off the record.
The earlier Times story, published Feb. 28, focused on the use of federal officials to perform personal duties for an administration figure. It said Patel had assigned four agents to protect Wilkins full time and that the agents ferried her to appearances in Britain, Illinois and Nashville.
The Times said Williamson also spoke to people who knew Wilkins or had worked with her. FBI spokesman Ben Williamson did not indicate any charges were pursued, and said the FBI did not take further action.
Patel has previously taken legal action against media organizations that published stories he said were harmful. As described in the Associated Press account, Patel filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic related to allegations about Patel’s excessive drinking and mismanagement while working at a law enforcement agency.