Investigation, raid - and Epstein Is Trump using federal agencies for his own purposes? 3 judicial cases that are causing a stir

A journalist writes a critical report about Kash Patel - and now his FBI is allegedly investigating Sarah Fitzpatrick. Meanwhile, in Virginia, the federal police raid the home of an 82-year-old Democrat. Only on the subject of Epstein are the federal authorities holding back.

"Since you are no longer in office: What power do you think the president shouldn't have?" Stephen Colbert asks Barack Obama, who was in office from 2008 to 2016, on his "Late Show".

The 64-year-old replies: "The White House shouldn't be able to order the attorney general to go out and indict people." "The norm is that [the department] is independent," the late-night host agrees. "The idea is that the Justice Department is the people's lawyer. It's not the consigliere [i.e. advisor] to the president."

Obama doubles down: "We can deal with a lot of things: bad policies, unconventional elections.... There's a lot of things we can overcome. What we can't overcome is the politicization of the criminal justice system."

This is due to the "overwhelming power of the state": "You can't have a situation where whoever is in power starts using it to persecute their political opponents or reward their friends." The ex-president may be right about this, but it is probably too late for his pious wishes, as these three examples show.

It's a story that made waves in mid-April. The title: "The FBI Director is MIA" - "The FBI Director is missing in action". According to the story, Kash Patel has a problem with alcohol and can sometimes not be found. When there was once an IT problem, Patel reportedly thought he was going to be fired, which he excitedly told some employees.

The author Sarah Fitzpatrick claims to have spoken to over two dozen people during her research who back up her statements. Three days after the publication, Patel nevertheless went on the counter-offensive: on April 20, he filed a 250-million-dollar lawsuit - for defamation. "Director Patel does not drink to excess", Patel's lawyers state.

Sarah Fitzpatrick is not intimidated by this: "We were very diligent. We were very careful," assures the journalist after filing the lawsuit. "Unfortunately, this was an open secret in Washington, and we tried very hard to bring it to light." After the publication, more whistleblowers "flooded" her.

Nevertheless, the agency Patel heads has now launched an investigation into Fitzpatrick, reports the left-wing broadcaster "MS Now": According to the report, the FBI has launched an insider threat investigation - in other words, it is about an enemy within. This is very unusual because no sensitive insider information from the federal police has been published.

Because of this investigation, the authorities could now search through the journalist's cell phone data. However, the process also raises concerns among FBI employees, according to "MS Now": "They know they are not allowed to do this. But if they don't continue, they could lose their jobs," says a source.

The FBI denies the facts when asked by the broadcaster. "The Atlantic" is alarmed: "If true, this would be an outrageous, illegal and dangerous attack on the free press and [the right to free speech]. We will defend Sarah and all of our reporters who are being harassed by the government simply for pursuing the truth," writes editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg.

In fact, Fitzpatrick goes one better: Under the title "Kash Patel's stash of personalized bourbon", she reports that the 46-year-old had a whiskey from the Woodford Reserve distillery in the state of Kentucky personalized - and often takes the alcohol with him when he travels to delight those around him.

"Fox News" was probably not there by chance when the FBI struck in Portsmouth, Virginia, on May 6: Federal police raid the office of a Democratic congresswoman. Louise Lucas is a senator in the state parliament. A THC store next to her office is also targeted by the officers: it belongs to 82-year-old Lucas, who campaigns for legalization.

A heavily armed police unit surrounds the establishment and demands that the people inside come out with their guns drawn, the reporter reports. In total, the FBI executed a search warrant for "corruption" in ten locations in Virginia, which was signed by a federal judge.

"Fox News" films how people are taken away by the SWAT team - and also how Louise Lucas reaches the scene. "I don't know what's going on," says the politician, who holds one of the highest offices in Virginia. But the woman is also making headlines nationwide: Lucas is one of the loudest voices in her party calling for new constituencies.

The background: because the Supreme Court has overturned the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the Republicans want to reorganize the constituencies in various states in order to win more of them. Donald Trump is hoping to gain up to 20 seats in the House of Representatives as a result. Lucas therefore wants the Democratic-governed states to do exactly the same.

Lucas has prevailed in Virginia: On April 21, the new constituencies were approved at the ballot box. The 82-year-old is still regarded as a declared opponent of Trump, who is known for her mouth and her social media posts. She reacted logically to the FBI operation on X - and accused the federal police of having political motives.

"Today's actions by federal agents are about far more than just a senator," she writes. "It's about power and who gets to wield it on behalf of the people. What we've seen fits a clear pattern of this administration: when challenged, it seeks to intimidate and silence those who oppose it."

While left-wing commentators like Lucas smell foul play, the right-wing camp sees itself vindicated by "NBC News": The broadcaster reports that the corruption investigations had been going on for three years and had already begun under Trump's predecessor Joe Biden.

The first clues as to what is really going on will probably only be provided by the wording of the search warrant and its application as soon as they are published. What is strange, however, is that "Fox News" apparently knew about the FBI action - and was able to film the scene.

The authorities don't do that because it could jeopardize the operation, explains Scott MacFarlane from the left-wing channel "MeidasTouch" - "unless you have the green light from the top". This is obviously the case with Louise Lucas: "It's really telling that the Department of Justice is trying to announce this search by megaphone."

MacFarlane isn't done yet: "And all this," he says, referring to the Lucas allegations, "while they're keeping the Epstein files behind closed doors. Howard Lutnick's interview is behind closed doors, and the Justice Department has done nothing to hear or amplify the voices of the Epstein survivors."

Convicted sex offenderJudge releases note Epstein allegedly wrote before his death

The journalist is talking about the questioning of Commerce Secretary Lutnick, who had to answer questions from the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on May 6 - but not publicly. The 64-year-old had said in an interview that he had found Jeffrey Epstein so sleazy that he never wanted to see him again.

It then emerged that Lutnick had visited the deceased paedophile on his island together with his wife, children and servants. The multiple billionaire could not remember why he had done this. However, Lutnick's lie is a moral offense - and not a case for the FBI.

And yet: the fact that federal authorities are taking action against journalist Fitzpatrick and Democrat Lucas is one thing. After all, the evidence, if there is any, must stand up in court. However, the fact that Justice Minister Todd Blanchet categorically rules out investigating the Epstein case again leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

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