FBI Director Kash Patel said he and President Donald Trump are “as tough as they come” during a rambling tirade against the media just days after he filed a defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic over an unflattering article.
Patel, 46, made the bizarre aside while addressing claims that he used the FBI to investigate a journalist who wrote about his girlfriend, 27-year-old country singer Alexis Wilkins.
The New York Times reported on Wednesday that the FBI began investigating its reporter, Elizabeth Williamson, after she wrote that Patel was using bureau personnel to provide his girlfriend with a security detail and transportation.
“I’m reading that they’re going after you, that you used the FBI because you didn’t like a story about your girlfriend, and…is there any truth to that? Because I’ve known you a long time, it just doesn’t sound like you,” Fox News presenter Sean Hannity asked Patel.
Patel replied, “Absolutely not,” before adding, “Thanks, Sean.”
The FBI Director then launched into a minute-long rant that covered a wide range of topics, including the “baseless” New York Times and its reporter, Trump and his success in office and former President Joe Biden’s shortcomings.
Patel railed against the Times, claiming its February report about his girlfriend’s security detail put her life at risk.
In March, Alden Welch Ruml, 26, of Massachusetts, was arrested after he sent Wilkins an email saying he would be “happy” when her face is “canoed by an assault rifle.” He pleaded not guilty and faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison if convicted.
“We are going to protect not only me and my loved ones, but every American that is threatened,” Patel said.
In the midst of his monologue, Patel tells Hannity, “But here’s the thing. Me and mine are like you and President Trump, we’re as tough as they come. We aren’t going to stand down. We aren’t going to take a knee on this one, or anything. America elected President Trump to safeguard our communities, and you’ve seen what we’ve done.”
The Independent has contacted The New York Times and the FBI for comment.
Patel’s rant against the Times comes days after he sued The Atlantic and journalist Sarah Fitzpatrick for $250 million over an article that characterized Patel as an excessive drinker.
“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," he told reporters during a contentious press conference on Tuesday.
He insisted that he is "the first one in, I’m the last one out.”
“I’m like an everyday American who loves his country, loves the sport of hockey, and champions my friends when they raise a gold medal and invite me to celebrate,” he said, referencing his trip to Milan, Italy, to attend the U.S. Men’s Hockey game.
The trip made headlines and resurfaced questions over his alleged use of FBI planes for personal outings. The FBI director’s decorum also came under scrutiny, as photos and videos showed him guzzling beers and partying with the U.S. hockey team just after their win.
The FBI maintains that Patel was conducting necessary business in Milan and that he attended the game in his free time.
The Atlantic commented on the lawsuit in a statement to The Independent, saying, “We stand by our reporting on Kash Patel, and we will vigorously defend The Atlantic and our journalists against this meritless lawsuit.”
After filing his lawsuit, Patel turned his attention back to the Times, which had reported this week that the FBI had looked into its reporter after she wrote the February article about Patel’s girlfriend’s security detail and their alleged personal use of FBI transportation .
The FBI told the NYT that “while investigators were concerned about how the aggressive reporting techniques crossed lines of stalking,” the bureau is not pursuing a case against the journalist, Williamson.
The paper reported that Williamson only had one phone call with Patel’s girlfriend, and that Williamson was never actually in her presence.
“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,” Joseph Kahn, the NYT's executive editor, said. “It’s alarming. It’s unconstitutional. And it’s wrong.”
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