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Welcome to The Logoff: President Donald Trump’s FBI director was the subject of an embarrassing story. Now, the FBI is after the author.
What is happening? on wednesday, MS NOW reported that the FBI launched a federal criminal investigation “targeting” Atlantic reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick over a story she wrote last month about FBI Director Kash Patel.
Storieswhich is available to more than two dozen people, describes Patel as sarcastic, often drunk, and ill-equipped for the job of FBI director.
Mainly, however, it focuses on Patel’s personal conduct in that role, and contains no classified information. As MS NOW points out, that fact — along with the investigative report’s focus on Fitzpatrick rather than his sources — makes the investigation unusual and confusing. (The FBI, for what it’s worth, has denied that any such investigation exists.)
On Wednesday, Fitzpatrick posted the second story about Patel describing his habit of distributing personalized bottles of bourbon engraved with his name, and sometimes signed.
What is the context? The reported investigation into Fitzpatrick is the latest in a long line of attacks on press freedom under the second Trump administration, including another investigation — since dismissed — into a New York Times reporter who reported on Patel and his girlfriend using FBI resources.
The FBI also seized the devices of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson earlier this year as part of an investigation into leaks reportedly targeting one of her sources. The Nathanson Report he won a Pulitzer Prize earlier this week.
What else should I know? This isn’t the only big FBI news from Wednesday: This morning, agents raided the office of Virginia state Senator Louise Lucas, who led the Democratic party. prevent effort in Virginia that has helped thwart Trump’s attempts to gain an edge ahead of the midterm elections.
The case is said to be about possible corruption allegations, but given Trump’s record of using investigations and prosecutions to punish his political enemiesThe timing is clear, to say the least.
