A Salon analysis reveals that under FBI Director Kash Patel, the bureau has investigated multiple reporters – all women – for doing their jobs.
The FBI targets journalists. But notice who they’re going after: Women.
- Hannah Natanson (WaPo): Pre-dawn home raid, electronics seized, for covering federal workforce cuts.
- Elizabeth Williamson (NYT): Investigated for federal stalking after reporting Patel used FBI agents to chauffeur his girlfriend.
- Sarah Fitzpatrick (The Atlantic): Criminal leak probe for reporting on Patel’s alleged conduct.
Patel denies any targeting. But the pattern is unmistakable – and it’s not new.
The Trump administration has consistently greenlit misogyny from the top down. What they call “locker room talk” becomes policy. What they dismiss as “jokes” becomes permission. And now, the machinery of federal law enforcement is being deployed overwhelmingly against women who dare to report critically on powerful men.
No prosecutions – yet. But that’s not the point. As the piece notes, authoritarian systems rarely begin with mass arrests. They start with selective intimidation. Raids that don’t go anywhere. A chilling effect that silences critics before they even speak.
Why this matters for family law
The same administration that weaponizes the FBI against women journalists also shapes family courts, custody standards, and domestic violence policy. When the system’s leaders signal that women’s voices are disposable – or dangerous – it emboldens bad actors in every corner of the legal system.
We represent women daily who are dismissed, intimidated, or retaliated against for speaking truth to power. This is not a separate issue. It is the same issue.
Patel promised to come after the media. So far, it’s only been women – Salon.com
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