FBI Head, Wipes Out Tweet on Wisconsin Judge's Arrest; Reason Remains Undisclosed
Rewritten Article:
Kash Patel, a self-proclaimed extremist and conspiracy theorist, serving as the director of the FBI, shared a contentious tweet regarding the arrest of Judge Hannah Dugan in Wisconsin on Friday. However, Patel swiftly deleted this tweet, only to re-tweet the identical message two hours later. The underlying reason for this deletion remains unclear.
Initially, Patel stated, "Just NOW, the FBI apprehended Judge Hannah Dugan, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on accusations of obstruction—evidence indicates Judge Dugan's attempt to obstruct an immigration arrest operation last week."
He continued, "Our agents suggest that Judge Dugan deliberately misguided federal agents away from the subject to be arrested in her courthouse, Eduardo Flores Ruiz, enabling Flores Ruiz, an illegal immigrant, to escape arrest."
Patel proceeded to describe a sensationalized scenario while transfixed on 1980s cop show aesthetics, claiming that the "Judge's obstruction presented increased risks to the general public." He boasted about the arrest and hinted at further revelations before tagging the X account for the FBI in Milwaukee.
Upon revisiting Patel's tweet's original URL, users are now greeted with a message suggesting, "Hmm...this page doesn't exist. Try searching for something different." It's perplexing that his subsequent tweet appears to be an exact duplicate, leaving us wondering why the initial post was erased. The U.S. Department of Justice has yet to clarify the matter concerning Patel's tweet.
On April 18, ICE agents were claimed to have been present at the Milwaukee County Courthouse to arrest a Mexican national in Judge Hannah Dugan's courtroom, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Details indicate that Dugan instructed the ICE agents to the chief justice's office, allowing Flores Ruiz to slip out through a side door [2].
Notably, five experts offered varying opinions on Dugan's actions, but none believed that she should face criminal charges. Confirmation of Dugan's arrest took place around 8:30 a.m. local time (9:30 a.m. ET) on Monday, and she appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephen C. Dries. Dugan is now facing charges of obstruction and concealing an individual [3].
During the hearing, Dugan made no comment, but her lawyer reportedly stated, "Judge Dugan wholeheartedly regrets and protests her arrest, maintaining it was not made in the public's best interest." Franklyn Gimbel, a former federal prosecutor in Milwaukee, described Dugan's arrest as "outrageous," suggesting that the more media-conscious Trump administration could have simply invited her to surrender herself voluntarily.
Dugan earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1981 and her JD in 1987. She took office as a county court judge, Branch 31, in 2016, following stints at Legal Action of Wisconsin and the Legal Aid [5].
Remarkably, this alleged prosecution mirrors a case brought against a federal judge by President Donald Trump in 2019, which was eventually dropped during the Biden administration in 2022. It's clear that Trump has expressed his intention to pursue judges in an attempt to exert his distinctive version of fascism on the U.S. [4]. Trump's business partner, Elon Musk, has openly advocated for the persecution of judges [6].
Kash Patel secured his position as FBI director in late February with a 51-49 vote, with only Democratic senators and two Republicans, including Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, opposing the decision. Prior to assuming his role at the FBI, Patel was connected with Trump Media, a company that manages Donald Trump's Truth Social platform, and received nearly $2.6 million in consulting and media deals [7]. Patel also wrote an extreme children's book depicting Donald Trump as a king, titled "The Plot Against the King" [8].
Since assuming the FBI director's role, Patel has consistently embraced the QAnon conspiracy theory and promised to "go after" mainstream media [9]. Although some supporters of Patel have voiced discontent due to the perceived slow response in retaliating against perceived adversaries, it remains to be seen if this shift will lead to an escalation in arrests of judges, ushering in the "arrest judges" stage of fascism.
Enrichment Data:[1] Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel[2] Associated Press[3] ABC News[4] CNN[5] University of Wisconsin-Madison[6] Twitter account of Elon Musk (@elonmusk)[7] ABC News[8] Amazon[9] CNN
- Kash Patel, the FBI director, sparked controversy by tweeting about the arrest of Judge Hannah Dugan, which he later deleted and re-posted, leaving the reason for removal unclear.
- The deleted tweet from Kash Patel claimed that Judge Dugan attempted to obstruct an immigration arrest operation, causing a subject to escape, and increasing risks to the public.
- The future of policy-and-legislation and politics remains uncertain with the ongoing events of technology-related misinformation and the involvement of figures like Kash Patel in tech-driven controversies.
- The general news landscape is filled with ongoing discussions about the role of the FBI in crime-and-justice proceedings, sparked by incidents such as the arrest of Judge Hannah Dugan under questionable circumstances and the subsequent actions of officials like Kash Patel.
