FBI Director Kash Patel ordered staff to attack X troll, top aide refused

Newly released FBI records show FBI Director Kash Patel ordered staff to respond to an anonymous X account that mocked him with a slur, a directive his top spokesman refused, saying it would make Patel look worse. The exchange, from a Feb. 5 text conversation with public affairs chief Ben Williamson, surfaced in the FBI's Epstein files document release. Patel insisted on posting "record year" stats against the account, which Williamson identified as a bot. Williamson noted the 277,000 figure was views, not replies, and that the team had declined the order. The revelation drew online mockery and calls for Patel's resignation, including from Democratic strategist Jesse Lee. It adds to scrutiny over Patel's handling of the Epstein files and his contested claims about them.