All posts tagged: U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation

Kash Patel defamation lawsuit against Figliuzzi dismissed

Kash Patel defamation lawsuit against Figliuzzi dismissed

Published by Sam Flores

Kash Patel, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), during a House Intelligence Committee hearing on worldwide threats in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, March 19, 2026. Daniel Heuer | Bloomberg | Getty Images A Houston federal court judge on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit by FBI Director Kash Patel alleging that former FBI official Frank Figliuzzi defamed him by saying Patel last year had “been visible at nightclubs far more than he has been on the seventh floor of” the bureau’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. “The Court finds that Figliuzzi’s statement is rhetorical hyperbole that cannot constitute defamation,” U.S. District Court Judge George Hanks Jr. wrote in his decision. “Accordingly, Dir. Patel has failed to state a claim against Figliuzzi, and his lawsuit must be dismissed.” The dismissal came a day after Patel filed an unrelated $250 million defamation lawsuit in D.C. federal court against The Atlantic magazine over a new article that alleged he has abused alcohol. While ruling on the key question of defamation in Figliuzzi’s favor, the judge denied his request …

Iran-linked hackers breach Kash Patel’s personal email

Iran-linked hackers breach Kash Patel’s personal email

Published by Sam Flores

FBI Director Kash Patel testifies before a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 18, 2026. Kevin Lamarque | Reuters Iran-linked hackers have broken into FBI Director Kash Patel’s personal email inbox, publishing photographs of the director and other documents to the internet, the hackers and the bureau said on Friday. On their website, the hacker group Handala Hack Team said Patel “will now find his name among the list of successfully hacked victims.” The hackers published a series of personal photographs of Patel sniffing and smoking cigars, riding in an antique convertible, and making a face while taking a picture of himself in the mirror with a large bottle of rum. The FBI confirmed that Patel’s emails had been targeted. In a statement, bureau spokesman Ben Williamson said, “we have taken all necessary steps to mitigate potential risks associated with this activity” and that the data involved was “historical in nature and involves no government information.” Handala, which presents itself as a group of pro-Palestinian vigilante hackers, is considered by Western researchers to be one of several personas used …

FBI eyes Arizona Senate audit of 2020 Maricopa County election

FBI eyes Arizona Senate audit of 2020 Maricopa County election

Published by Sam Flores

People deposit their mail-in ballots for the US presidential election at a ballot collection box in Phoenix, Arizona on October 18, 2020. Robyn Beck | Afp | Getty Images A federal grand jury issued a subpoena for records of the Arizona state Senate’s audit of 2020 election results in Maricopa County, the Senate president said Monday. The county is a Democratic stronghold that President Donald Trump lost that year, contributing to his loss of the state to former President Joe Biden. “The FBI has the records,” wrote Senate President Warren Petersen, a Republican, in a post on the social media site X, which said he received a subpoena for those records last week and that he complied with it. The issuance of the subpoena suggests that the Department of Justice has expanded its investigation into the 2020 election results and much-debunked allegations by Trump and supporters of his that he was cheated out of victory that year by widespread ballot fraud. The subpoena came about five weeks after the FBI raided an election facility in …

FBI searches Washington Post reporter’s home in investigation

FBI searches Washington Post reporter’s home in investigation

Published by Sam Flores

A person walks into the One Franklin Square Building, home of The Washington Post newspaper, June 21, 2024, in Washington. Alex Brandon | AP FBI agents searched a Washington Post reporter’s home on Wednesday as part of a leak investigation involving a Pentagon contractor accused of sharing classified information, the Justice Department said. Hannah Natanson, who has been covering President Donald Trump’s transformation of the federal government, had a phone and a Garmin watch seized in the search of her Virginia home, the Post reported. Natanson has reported extensively on the federal workforce, and recently she published a piece describing how she gained hundreds of new sources — leading one colleague to call her “the federal government whisperer.” While classified documents investigations aren’t unusual, the search of a reporter’s home marks an escalation in the government’s efforts to crack down on leaks. “Leaking classified information puts America’s national security and the safety of our military heroes in serious jeopardy,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a post on X. “President Trump has zero tolerance for it and will continue to aggressively crack down on these illegal acts moving forward.” An affidavit …

FBI blocking state from evidence in Minneapolis probe

FBI blocking state from evidence in Minneapolis probe

Published by Sam Flores

Members of law enforcement investigate the scene after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, agent fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Jan. 7, 2026. Stephen Maturen | Getty Images News | Getty Images A Minnesota law enforcement agency said Thursday that the FBI is blocking the agency from accessing evidence related to the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good on Wednesday by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent on a residential street in Minneapolis. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said the FBI’s stance came at the behest of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota and was a reversal of an initial agreement that the BCA would conduct a joint investigation of Good’s killing with the FBI. BCA Superintendent Drew Evans also said the agency has “reluctantly withdrawn” from the investigation because of the lack of cooperation from federal officials. “We expect the FBI to conduct a thorough and complete investigation and that the full investigative file will be shared with the appropriate prosecutorial authorities at both the state and federal levels,” Evans said. Good was shot by …