FBI Director Removes Post Regarding Wisconsin Judge's Arrest; Reason for Deletion Not Specified
In a jaw-dropping twist, FBI Director Kash Patel, infamous for his far-right leanings and love for conspiracy theories, took to Twitter to announce the arrest of Judge Hannah Dugan from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Patel accused Dugan of throwing a spanner in the works for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) by allegedly obstructing the arrest of Eduardo Flores Ruiz, an illegal immigrant.
Patel's tweet, posted at 10:11 a.m. ET on April 25, read, "Just NOW, the FBI arrested Judge Hannah Dugan out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on charges of obstruction-after evidence of Judge Dugan obstructing an immigration arrest operation last week." But in a bizarre turn of events, Patel promptly deleted the tweet two hours later and reposted it exactly as it was.
In the since-deleted tweet, Patel claimed, "We believe Judge Dugan intentionally misdirected federal agents away from the subject to be arrested in her courthouse, Eduardo Flores Ruiz, allowing the subject-an illegal alien-to evade arrest. Fortunately, our agents chased down the perp on foot, but the Judge's obstruction created increased danger to the public." He ended the tweet by stating, "I'll have more to share soon," and tagging the FBI's Milwaukee branch.
Curious onlookers who tried to view the original URL were met with a page reading "Hmm...this page doesn't exist. Try searching for something else." The reposted tweet mirrored the original wording, leaving the mystery of why the tweet was deleted unsolved.
ICE agents had allegedly arrived at the Milwaukee County Courthouse on April 18, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. The papers report that Dugan directed the ICE agents to the chief justice's office, and Flores Ruiz slipped out through a side door. Opinions on Dugan's alleged conduct varied among experts consulted by the Journal-Sentinel, but none believed she should face criminal charges.
However, the U.S. Marshals Service confirmed that Dugan was arrested on courthouse property around 8:30 a.m. local time (9:30 a.m. ET). She has been charged with two felonies: obstruction and concealing an individual.
Dugan, a 65-year-old Wisconsin native, has a Bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (1981) and a JD from the same university (1987). She was elected to Milwaukee County Court, Branch 31, in 2016.
In a similar case three years ago, President Donald Trump prosecuted a federal judge in Massachusetts, but the case was dropped during the Biden administration in 2022. Trump has made it clear that he intends to target judges as a means of imposing his brand of fascism in the United States. His close associate, Elon Musk, has repeatedly called for the persecution of judges.
Patel, Trump's FBI director, is no stranger to controversy. Before his role at the FBI, he was a board member for Trump Media, the company that owns Trump's Truth Social, and holds at least $2.6 million in consulting and media deals. Additionally, Patel has written an unhinged children's book, "The Plot Against the King," that depicts Trump as a king.
Patel has also openly embraced the QAnon conspiracy theory, published a list of deep state officials to target, and threatened to "come after" the media. Despite this, many of his supporters on social media have expressed frustration over what they perceive as his slow pace in enacting retribution against perceived enemies. As Patel takes the stage to usher in the "arrest judges" era of fascism, it will be interesting to see how he handles this new chapter.
- Despite the deletion of his initial tweet, FBI Director Kash Patel, known for his ties to politics and polarizing views, reposted the announcement of Judge Hannah Dugan's arrest for alleged obstruction and concealing an individual.
- The arrest of Judge Dugan, who has a Bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a JD from the same university, comes amidst concerns about the future of technology and policy-and-legislation, with some fearing a shift towards crime-and-justice issues under Patel's leadership.
- The incident involving Judge Dugan and the alleged obstructing of an immigration arrest operation has sparked debate among experts, with opinions divided on whether she should face criminal charges.
- In the tech world, figures like Elon Musk have publicly called for the persecution of judges, and Patel's actions could be seen as a step towards, as President Donald Trump did in a similar case three years ago, targeting judges as a means of imposing certain policies or ideologies, a move that some consider a step towards fascism in the general news landscape.
