Overview
- Candace Owens says she filed a FOIA request for Kash Patel’s three-day travel itinerary before Charlie Kirk was killed and posted on X that the bureau told her the request was “too burdensome.”
- The FBI’s Rapid Response account replied by posting the agency’s June 12 acknowledgement letter and challenged Owens to show where the bureau used the phrase she quoted, saying her description of a denial was false.
- Owens and the FBI traded sharp public posts on X after the bureau urged her to narrow the scope or provide clarification under FOIA’s “unusual circumstances,” with Owens insisting she had accurately paraphrased the reply.
- The dispute comes against months of reporting about Patel’s travel, including a trip to the Italy Olympics, and his lawsuit against The Atlantic over critical coverage, which has driven demands for transparency.
- No credible evidence has been produced linking the FBI to Kirk’s death and the online feud is likely to intensify partisan suspicions, increase pressure for clarified FOIA responses, and fuel further public scrutiny of Patel’s conduct.