National security journalist Seth Hettena uncovered documents revealing FBI Director Kash Patel's attempt to have his team respond to online criticism of him, despite advice from Assistant Director for Public Affairs Ben Williamson that such engagement would be inappropriate and could reflect poorly on Patel. Patel directed his team to counter a mocking post by citing the FBI’s achievements, misunderstanding the difference between views and responses on social media. This incident is part of broader concerns about Patel's performance, including reports of excessive drinking and unexplained absences, which he has disputed through legal action against The Atlantic for defamation.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-12,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
FBI Director Kash Patel appears to be handling his position poorly according to recent revelations by national security journalist Seth Hettena. Documents released through the FBI Vault, part of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), reveal an instance in February where Patel instructed his team to engage with online criticism. Specifically, after a post mocking him on X (formerly Twitter) surfaced—a post that assistant director for public affairs Ben Williamson identified as likely coming from a bot account referencing derogatory language—Patel urged Williamson to find the 277k users responding and counter their criticisms by highlighting FBI's record year results. This directive suggests Patel is focused on online reputation management rather than official duties, raising questions about his suitability for the role.
Written for “FBI Director Role Mystery” on 2026-09-12,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted
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stored, so you can find it in the original.
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FBI Director Kash Patel seems to be very bad at his job.
left criticizes the director's competence
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Patel texted a link of the post to Williamson in February, to which Williamson replies, “this is an ‘Epstein didn’t kill himself’ bot account if you’re wondering where that’s coming from.” But Patel seems to fixate on the reaction to the post: “277k responses are not bots what i asked you and your team to do is find them, and post our record year results back at them all, continuously.”
left portrays Patel's actions as obsessive and inappropriate
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This behavior aligns with Patel’s excessive drinking and extended unexplained absences from his post, according to an April report in The Atlantic. The FBI director filed a defamation lawsuit against the media outlet, a case that remains pending following The Atlantic’s motion to dismiss in July.
left links Patel's behavior with legal action against criticism
Leaning score -0.65 for article 8313 (high confidence, 3 verified quotes) · logged 2026-09-12
FBI Director Kash Patel seems to be very bad at his job.
asserted
Patel → seem → job
This was confirmed yet again on Thursday, when national security journalist Seth Hettena found documents showing Patel instructing his team to search for and respond to online accounts that criticize him.
asserted
that → confirm → him
In one instance, Ben Williamson, the FBI’s assistant director for public affairs, tells Patel via text message that the FBI should not respond to a post making fun of the director from what looks like a troll account on X with a handle referencing the r-word slur.
asserted
what → tell → slur
Patel texted a link of the post to Williamson in February, to which Williamson replies, “this is an ‘Epstein didn’t kill himself’ bot account if you’re wondering where that’s coming from.”
asserted
that → texte → where
But Patel seems to fixate on the reaction to the post: “277k responses are not bots what i asked you and your team to do is find them, and post our record year results back at them all, continuously.
asserted
asked → seem → them
The records appear in the FBI Vault, a large set of documentation that the FBI proactively released for public interest in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act.
asserted
FBI → appear → Act
The documents that Hettena highlights are from a collection titled “Records regarding the review of the Investigative Holdings related to Jeffrey Epstein Part 11.”
asserted
documents → highlight → Part
Williamson dismissed his director’s concern over the February troll post—as of Friday morning, it only has 492 comments, about 1,000 reposts and quotes, and 16,000 likes—with Patel appearing to confuse the number of views with the number of responses.
asserted
Patel → dismiss → responses
He warned Patel that responding to the post would “look bad on you”—a valid point.
asserted
responding → warn → post
This behavior aligns with Patel’s excessive drinking and extended unexplained absences from his post, according to an April report in The Atlantic.
uncertain
behavior → align → Atlantic
The FBI director filed a defamation lawsuit against the media outlet, a case that remains pending following The Atlantic’s motion to dismiss in July.
asserted
that → file → July
