Kash Patel Threatens to Sue Ex-Pence Aide For Saying On MSNBC He’s Unfit to Lead the FBI

Phillip NietoDec 4th, 2024, 4:40 pm
 

 

(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Kash Patel’s legal team threatened Wednesday to sue a former aide to Mike Pence who claimed he was unfit to lead the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Former Pence aide Olivia Troye told her followers on social media that her legal counsel received a letter from an attorney representing Patel threatening legal action unless she retracted comments she made on MSNBC.

Over the weekend, President-elect Donald Trump announced Patel would replace current FBI Director Christopher Wray for his incoming administration. Trump would need to take the rare step of firing Wray to install Patel, a fierce loyalist. Patel has previously vowed to target and prosecute journalists who helped President Joe Biden “rig” the 2020 election.

“Today, Kash Patel sent a letter to my counsel @MarkSZaidEsq – threatening legal action & demanding that I retract my comments on MSNBC about his unfitness to serve as FBI Director,” Troye wrote on X. “This aligns with his threats against the media & political opponents, revealing how he might conduct himself if confirmed in the role.”

She added, “I stand by my statements—my priority remains the safety & security of the American people. I am not the only one who has expressed concerns about him. So why me? And so it begins.”

On Monday, Troye claimed during an MSNBC interview that Patel would “lie about intelligence” while serving in the Department of Defense during Trump’s first term. A lawyer representing Patel told Troye her comments were “defamatory” and demanded she retract them via a public statement on X “within five business days of receipt of this letter.”

“Unless this step is taken, Mr. Patel will take swift legal action to uphold his rights and reputation,” wrote Patel’s attorney Jesse Binnall.

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