Sarah Fitzpatrick has aggressively criticized FBI Director Kash Patel, accusing him of being negligent and an alcoholic while serving as the head of the nation’s leading law enforcement and domestic intelligence agency. In response, Patel’s lawyers have filed a lawsuit against her.
The article in question relies heavily on anonymous sources, which comes as no surprise, given that this same reporter previously promoted the false claims made by Julie Swetnick, who attempted to derail Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination.
Nevertheless, the FBI has a responsibility to fulfill. When Ms. Fitzpatrick requested their assistance regarding threats she was receiving related to her article published in The Atlantic, it led to an unexpected twist. The publication reached out to law enforcement, which subsequently referred Ms. Fitzpatrick to the FBI.
While Fitzpatrick has continued her work, there has been considerable discussion within Washington, D.C., about her situation, especially after MS Now claimed that the FBI was investigating her in relation to the article. This claim has been denied.
However, it appears there is a threat assessment probe involving her, although it pertains to a different matter. The threats against her surfaced just three days after the critical article about Kash Patel was published in April.
It comes in mens and womens and lets your friends know you're happy to express your views and don't care what anyone thinks! Cheers!
Rachel Bade has more:
The FBI has opened a “threat assessment” case into menacing messages sent to Fitzpatrick — called a “guardian intake” in FBI speak, I’m told by an FBI official who requested anonymity to share details. It did so because the reporter herself contacted the bureau twice.
THE DETAILS — On April 20, Fitzpatrick described the horrifying messages in a call to the FBI. “Your days are numbered,” one read. Another said, “It’ll be your obituary,” according to this FBI official. Fitzpatrick first went to the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, which referred her to the FBI, according to a statement The Atlantic gave me tonight.
A few hours before her outreach to the FBI, Patel’s lawyers had filed a lawsuit against The Atlantic over Fitzpatrick’s piece. The filing temporarily included Fitzpatrick’s home address, which alarmed the reporter, she would later tell agency officials.
In addition to speaking with her, the FBI was also in communication with MPD to make sure her house didn’t get swatted, I’m told.
On May 5, Fitzpatrick and Atlantic attorney DAVID BAUMGARTEN attended a Zoom meeting with FBI officers, where they shared additional threatening messages she’d received. I’m told Fitzpatrick relayed to the officers that she received calls during the night and had concerns about her family’s safety.
PLOT THICKENS — The irony of the entire situation won’t be lost on those who’ve read Fitzpatrick’s work: A reporter whose coverage the FBI director sued over, now consulting with the FBI about her safety. And an agency making moves to protect a journalist who’s been the bane of its director’s existence.
But that’s the job of the FBI, isn’t it? That said, D.C. is rife with these kinds of strange bedfellows.
As far as the death threats go, obviously, those are never, ever okay, despite Fitzpatrick’s outrageous claims in her article.
