The Federal Bureau of Investigation started investigating a New York Times reporter last month after she wrote about FBI Director Kash Patel putting government resources toward his country singer girlfriend's protection and travel.
On Wednesday, the Times broke the story of how the newspaper's reporter, Elizabeth Williamson, became a focus of the FBI, which concerned some Justice Department officials who saw the actions as retaliatory in nature and saw no legal basis to pursue the matter.
Williamson had penned a February 28 piece headlined: 'Kash Patel’s Girlfriend Seeks Fame and Fortune, Escorted by an F.B.I. SWAT Team.'
While reporting the piece, Williamson had reached out to Patel's girlfriend, Alexis Wilkins, and they spoke by phone off the record and exchanged emails, the Times said.
Never was Williamson in Wilkins' presence.
Yet after Wilkins received a death threat from an individual based in Boston, who sent it after reading Williamson's article, FBI officials went through the bureau's databases to see if the federal government had any information on the journalist that would suggest she needed further scrutiny, a source told the Times.
FBI officials looked into stalking statutes as part of that effort, the source said.
An FBI spokesperson verified that account, but said the matter into Williamson was quickly dropped.
The New York Times reported Wednesday that the paper's reporter Elizabeth Williamson (left) was scrutinized by the FBI after she wrote an unflattering story about FBI Director Kash Patel (right) and his country singer girlfriend Alexis Wilkins (center right)
'Ms. Wilkins was interviewed by FBI agents in relation to a death threat in Boston, which specifically referenced an article published by Williamson the previous day,' the spokesperson told the Times. 'During this questioning, the agents inquired about the related reporting. While investigators were concerned about how the aggressive reporting techniques crossed lines of stalking, no further action regarding Williamson or the reporting was ever pursued by the FBI.'
The spokesperson wouldn't say whether Patel was aware of the inquiry into the journalist or whether he condoned the use of government resources to probe standard newsgathering activities by a reporter.
The Times' executive editor, Joseph Kahn, blasted the FBI in a statement.
'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,' Kahn said. 'It's alarming. It's unconstitutional. And it's wrong.'
The February Times article highlighted Patel's use of taxpayer-funded perks on the heels of his highly scrutinized trip to Milan for the Olympics, where he was seen partying with the US men's hockey team after they won gold.
On Friday, the Atlantic released a report where sources outed Patel for excessive drinking.
The FBI director responded by filing a $250 million lawsuit against the magazine.
The Atlantic has stood by its reporting.
FBI Director Kash Patel (left) poses with his girlfriend Alexis Wilkins (right), who was never in the same room as the New York Times reporter the FBI was looking into for 'stalking'
'We stand by our reporting on Kash Patel, and we will vigorously defend The Atlantic and our journalists against this meritless lawsuit,' a spokesperson said.
After a tumultuous first term, filled with firings and hirings, President Donald Trump appeared not to want to rock the boat in his second term - until recently.
Starting last month, Trump has engaged in several high-profile firings, including Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer resigned this week.
Sources told The Atlantic that Patel has become increasingly concerned about his job security, especially after the ouster of Bondi.