FBI Director Kash Patel’s girlfriend has lashed out at a report suggesting she held another man’s hand after the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner.
The New York Times published, but later edited, a report suggesting musician Alexis Wilkins was spotted holding hands with someone who wasn’t Patel inside a private holding room after shots rang out at the event, according to the Daily Mail.
“I was only ever holding Kash's hand; anything to suggest otherwise is false. It is sick for the New York Times to have used this time after a perceived active shooting as a political tool. They will stop at nothing to push a narrative out that's damaging to people they've determined they dislike,” Wilkins told the Daily Mail.
When reached for comment, a NYT spokesperson told The Independent: "A Times journalist on the scene of the Correspondents' Dinner accurately reported during the breaking news events of the evening, including Ms. Wilkins' sheltering in a room while holding a security officer's hand."
“This reporting was published in a live blog Saturday night, and was updated for additional context to readers,” the spokesperson added.
The Independent has contacted Wilkins for comment.
President Donald Trump and several members of his administration were evacuated from the Washington Hilton Hotel Saturday evening after shots rang out during the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner. The suspect was later identified as 31-year-old Cole Allen of California. Allen is accused of running past a security checkpoint at the hotel and firing at least one shot before he was detained. He did not reach the ballroom where the dinner was being held.
Allen appeared in court Monday and was charged with attempting to assassinate the president. He also faces two weapons charges.
Last week, the NYT also reported that the FBI investigated one of its reporters after she wrote about Patel using bureau personnel to provide Wilkins with a security detail and transportation. The agency reportedly looked into whether reporter Elizabeth Williamson broke federal stalking laws. 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 Williamson.
“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.”
