Schaffer says in a video that he "never" suggested Wilkins is a honeypot
Elijah SchafferPolitical commentator and podcast host, in a video on his X account
In a video posted on X on November 10, 2025 (U.S. Eastern time), Elijah Schaffer responded to Wilkins's defamation suit by saying he never called her a honeypot and "never even suggested that in my own head." He called the suit an attack on his criticism of Israel and a proxy suit by Patel. Later in the video he described PragerU, where Wilkins has worked, as "another organization tied to the IDF and Israeli government, allegedly."
Responding to
Kyle Seraphin said on his podcast on August 22, 2025 that FBI Director Kash Patel "has had his own little 'honeypot' issue" and that Patel's girlfriend, Alexis Wilkins, is "a former Mossad agent in what is like the equivalent of their NSA," according to the transcript quoted in Wilkins's complaint and in the court's order denying his motion to dismiss.
“Before anyone jumps to conclusions and says, well, don't say that she's a honeypot, I'd like to say, I never did. I never would. I never felt like suggesting that, never even suggested that in my own head. … I never said anything about Alexis Wilkins, period.”
Original post
Where this statement fits
Is Alexis Wilkins a foreign 'honeypot' agent, as Kyle Seraphin and other commentators suggested?
Since early 2025, online commentators have suggested that Alexis Wilkins, the country singer engaged to FBI Director Kash Patel, is an Israeli or Mossad "honeypot" sent to compromise him. Podcaster Kyle Seraphin said on August 22, 2025 that Patel's girlfriend is "a former Mossad agent" (he did not name her; a court found the remarks referred to her), Sam Parker raised the idea through questions in a February 2025 X thread, and Elijah Schaffer posted her photo under a thread about female Mossad operatives. Wilkins says she has never been an intelligence agent and has never been to Israel, and she sued all three for defamation. A Florida court let the Schaffer suit proceed, the parties then reported a tentative agreement and jointly dismissed it with prejudice, and on September 9, 2026 Schaffer posted a retraction saying she "is not, and has never been, a foreign intelligence operative"; a Utah court dismissed the Parker suit for lack of jurisdiction; the Seraphin suit is pending after the court denied his motion to dismiss. As of October 5, 2026, we found no evidence offered by anyone that Wilkins has worked for any intelligence service, and no court has ruled at trial on the claim.
Source and context
Original post
About this source
Schaffer's video responding to the defamation suit Wilkins filed against him on October 28, 2025. He says the suit punishes his criticism of Israel and calls it a proxy suit by Patel. The excerpt is our transcription of the video.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Wilkins sued Schaffer on October 28, 2025 over a September 2025 quote post that added a photo of her and Patel, without a caption, to a thread about female Mossad operatives.
After the quotation
His lawyers moved to dismiss on January 5, 2026, and the court denied the motion. After a settlement, Schaffer posted a retraction on September 9, 2026 saying Wilkins has never been a foreign intelligence operative.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is the proposition that Alexis Wilkins is, or was, a foreign intelligence agent, specifically an Israeli or Mossad "honeypot" in a relationship with Kash Patel to compromise him. Schaffer denies that he ever suggested Wilkins is a honeypot, which disputes the complaint's reading of his post without saying whether the proposition is true, so we used Challenged the characterization. The closest competing label is Mixed or conditional, because the same video ties PragerU to the Israeli government and questions whether an unmarried FBI director could be compromised. It loses because he states no conclusion about Wilkins and expressly disclaims the accusation. Denied does not fit because he does not say she is not an agent; his September 2026 retraction, which does, is recorded separately. Evidence level: our transcription of his own video.
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More from this case
Read the full caseJake Shields responds to Schaffer's retraction: "I'm glad Elijah cleared that up"
“I'm glad Elijah cleared that up Alexis Wikins is not an Israeli honeypot and the FBI is not funding her lawsuit”Read statement
Schaffer retracts his post and says Wilkins "is not, and has never been" a foreign intelligence operative
“I apologize for that implication because it is false to suggest she is a honeypot. Alexis Wilkins is not, and has never been, a foreign intelligence operative, foreign asset, or honeypot of any kind. There is no factual basis to suggest otherwise. … I retract my September 2025 post in full. The original post has been deleted.”Read statement
Seraphin's answer calls his remarks "opinion, satire, or rhetorical hyperbole"
“Deny. Defendant explicitly defined the term “honeypot” differently than the Complaint alleges. … The statements were expressions of opinion, satire, or rhetorical hyperbole, not verifiable false assertions of fact. … Defendant accurately and off-handedly reported third party allegations.”Read statement
Cite this record
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- The Dispute Index
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- Schaffer says in a video that he "never" suggested Wilkins is a honeypot
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Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Schaffer says in a video that he "never" suggested Wilkins is a honeypot". First published: 2026-10-06. Last updated: 2026-10-06. https://disputeindex.com/events/4714-in-a-video-posted-on-x-on-november