FBI Director Removes Tweet Regarding Judge's Arrest in Wisconsin – Reason Behind Actions Remains Unfathomable
A far-right extremist and conspiracy theorist, Kash Patel, who just happens to be the director of the FBI, took to Twitter last Friday to announce the arrest of Judge Hannah Dugan of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Patel accused Dugan of intentionally obstructing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) by misdirecting federal agents away from the subject to be arrested in her courthouse. However, just two hours later, Patel deleted the tweet.
Patel, in his tweet from 10:11 a.m. ET, stated that Judge Dugan allowed an illegal alien to evade arrest by directing the ICE agents to the chief justice's office and allowing the targeted individual to leave through a side door. He further described the scene like he's in a cheesy 1980s cop show, claiming that the Judge's obstruction created increased danger to the public.
The strange part is that Patel later reposted the tweet with identical wording, and it's unclear why he deleted the first one. The U.S. Department of Justice didn't immediately respond to questions about Patel's tweet emailed Friday.
Reportedly, ICE agents arrived at the Milwaukee County Courthouse on April 18 to arrest a Mexican citizen in Judge Hannah Dugan's courtroom. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports that Dugan directed the ICE agents to the chief justice's office, and the individual ICE was trying to arrest left through a side door. Five experts consulted by the Journal-Sentinel had different opinions on Dugan's alleged conduct, but none thought she should be charged with a crime.
On Friday, the U.S. Marshals Service confirmed that Dugan was arrested around 8:30 a.m. local time (9:30 a.m. ET) on courthouse property. Dugan appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephen C. Dries and has been charged with two felonies, obstruction and concealing an individual.
Judge Dugan, 65, earned her JD in 1987 and was elected to the county court, Branch 31, in 2016. This arrest is seen as part of a broader clash between federal authorities and local judiciary figures over immigration enforcement.
It's worth noting that President Trump has made it clear that he's going to go after judges as a way to impose his particular brand of fascism on the United States. Trump's billionaire buddy, Elon Musk, has repeatedly called for the persecution of judges. Musk tweeted about the case on Friday, writing, "More judicial corruption."
Kash Patel was confirmed as FBI director in late February in a vote of 51-49, with every Democratic senator and two Republicans, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, voting no. Patel has made at least $2.6 million from consulting and media deals and has embraced the QAnon conspiracy theory, published a list of so-called deep state officials to target, and has promised to "come after" the media.
We'll see if Patel's arch-conservative agenda picks up steam now that he's doing his best to usher in the "arrest judges" stage of fascism.
- Gizmodo reported on the arrest of Judge Hannah Dugan, stating that Kash Patel, the director of the FBI, accused her of intentionally obstructing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) by misdirecting federal agents on April 18.
- The tech world and general news, including Gizmodo, have been closely following the arrest of Judge Dugan, as Patel's actions are seen as part of a broader clash between federal authorities and local judiciary figures over immigration enforcement.
- The debate on policy-and-legislation and politics surrounding Judge Dugan's arrest has escalated, with Elon Musk, President Trump's billionaire buddy, tweeting about the case, calling it "judicial corruption."
- As the director of the FBI, Patel's arch-conservative agenda, which includes embracing the QAnon conspiracy theory and promising to "come after" the media, has raised concerns about the future of technology and crime-and-justice in the United States.
