FBI Director’s girlfriend takes MS NOW to court, accusing them of creating a ‘false portrayal’ that is ‘highly offensive’

Alexis Wilkins, the girlfriend of FBI Director Kash Patel, has officially filed a lawsuit against  MS NOW and reporters Ken Dilanian and Carol Leonnig in a federal court in Nashville, Tennessee. The suit accuses the news organization of spreading false allegations in an MS NOW report from December 5, 2025. The report claimed that Patel had ordered his girlfriend’s security detail to escort her inebriated friend home following a night of partying in Nashville. 

Per NBC News, her attorneys, Kurt Beasley, Jason C. Greaves, and Jared R. Roberts, claim the defendants “falsely asserted that Ms. Wilkins demanded, and Director Patel ordered, that federal agents assigned to her security detail—which did not even exist at the time—escort an intoxicated friend home after a ‘night of partying.’” 

Furthermore, the suit alleges that the reporters “falsely portrayed Ms. Wilkins as being intoxicated even knowing that she does not drink.” Her legal team emphasized that this “false portrayal is highly offensive to Ms. Wilkins, and would be to any reasonable person in her situation.” They noted that her professional identity is that of a sober, responsible young woman, which clashes with the narrative presented in the MS NOW reporting.

MS NOW took a firm stance in their response statement

The original report from MS NOW, which relied on three anonymous sources, claimed that Patel directed members of an elite SWAT team, who were assigned to protect Wilkins, to provide transport for her friends on multiple occasions. The report stated that agents felt forced to comply with these requests despite objections. 

FBI spokesperson Ben Williamson reportedly told Dilanian before publication that Wilkins “doesn’t even drink.” This specific detail is now highlighted in the lawsuit to argue that the outlet acted with reckless disregard for the truth.

In response to these claims, MS NOW President Rebecca Kutler issued a brief statement: “We stand firmly behind MS NOW’s reporting. As a general matter of practice, we don’t comment on ongoing legal matters.” The outlet has also provided a breakdown of the lawsuit via their Deadline: Legal Blog, noting that Wilkins is seeking a jury trial and damages exceeding $75,000. 

Her lawyers are pushing back against the “actual malice” standard typically required for public figures in defamation cases. They argue that Wilkins is not a public figure and should only need to prove negligence, stating that the case “presents a perfect illustration of how modern ‘journalists’ abuse this outdated and judicially contrived standard [from the Sullivan precedent] to smear so-called public figures.”

This isn’t the first time the couple has turned to the courts to address media coverage. Kash Patel is currently pursuing a separate defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic regarding an April article that alleged he drinks to excess. 

In that instance, an Atlantic spokeswoman stated, “We stand by our reporting on Kash Patel, and we will vigorously defend The Atlantic and our journalists against this meritless lawsuit.” Additionally, Wilkins has previously filed a lawsuit against a failed U.S. Senate candidate in Utah, alleging defamation regarding claims that she was a secret agent.

The original report from MS NOW had already ignited significant controversy within the bureau. Former FBI agents and law enforcement officials, including contributor Christopher O’Leary, expressed concern over the use of SWAT personnel for personal security duties. 

O’Leary stated, “Not only is the assignment of FBI SWAT personnel to a security detail to protect his girlfriend inappropriate, directing these highly trained professionals to babysit his girlfriend’s friend is outrageous, and demonstrative of Kash Patel’s complete lack of judgment and integrity.”

Patel has consistently denied these claims in various interviews. Addressing the broader criticisms regarding his leadership and the use of resources, he told Fox News, “I’m entitled to a personal life, just like my other agency-head counterparts with their partners. Do I support my girlfriend? Absolutely. Do I take trips with her? Absolutely.” 

He then tried to express what his critics were really after. “But when they’re talking about raid jackets and Velcro and FBI plane use, they’re not talking about the facts, because they know this FBI is succeeding in ways prior leadership failed.” He further added, “I am a steward of the taxpayer dollars.”