O'Leary condemns the reported use of agents to escort Wilkins's friend
Christopher O'LearyFormer FBI agent and MS NOW contributor
O'Leary called the reported assignment of FBI tactical agents to drive Wilkins's friend home outrageous and evidence of poor judgment by Patel.
“complete lack of judgment and integrity”
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Did FBI Director Kash Patel order the security detail protecting Alexis Wilkins to drive a friend home, as MS NOW reported?
On December 5, 2025, MS NOW reported, citing three unnamed people with knowledge, that FBI Director Kash Patel ordered the security detail protecting Alexis Wilkins to escort a friend of hers home after what the article calls a night of partying in Nashville, on more than one occasion. FBI spokesperson Ben Williamson told MS NOW "This is made up and did not happen." Wilkins sued Versant Media Group, which does business as MS NOW, and two reporters for defamation on May 29, 2026, and her complaint says the events did not occur and that she did not have a security detail at the time. MS NOW's president says the network stands behind its reporting. As of October 5, 2026, we found no court ruling on whether the report was accurate or on the defendants' motion to dismiss or transfer (the CourtListener copy of the docket was last updated September 15, 2026), and we did not find a named witness who says on the record that the reported events occurred.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
MS NOW reported that Patel had ordered the detail protecting Wilkins to escort an allegedly inebriated friend home, citing three people with knowledge of the incidents. FBI spokesperson Ben Williamson denied the reported events. O'Leary said agents should serve the public and defend the Constitution.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
MS NOW reported that Patel had ordered the detail protecting Wilkins to escort an allegedly inebriated friend home, citing three people with knowledge of the incidents.
After the quotation
FBI spokesperson Ben Williamson denied the reported events. O'Leary said agents should serve the public and defend the Constitution.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is Patel's reported escort order. O'Leary condemns that alleged use of FBI personnel.
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More from this case
Read the full caseDefendants say they wrote the article "in good faith, believing everything in it was accurate"
Versant Media Group
“Defendants thoroughly and responsibly reported the article and wrote it in good faith, believing everything in it was accurate. As a result, Plaintiff will not be able to prove that any statement or implication about her was materially false, much less that Defendants published such a statement with knowledge of falsity or despite a high probability that it was false.”Read statement
Defendants argue that reporting Wilkins's request is not defamatory "even if she did not actually make the request"
Versant Media Group
“It simply reports she asked FBI agents to drive her friend home so the friend would arrive safely – a statement that would not hold a person up to hatred and ridicule in society. … Reporting on her request to the FBI, even if she did not actually make the request, is simply not the kind of thing that would subject Wilkins to “hatred, contempt, or ridicule.””Read statement
MS NOW President Rebecca Kutler says the network stands "firmly behind" its reporting
“We stand firmly behind MS NOW’s reporting. As a general matter of practice, we don’t comment on ongoing legal matters.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "O'Leary condemns the reported use of agents to escort Wilkins's friend". First published: 2026-10-06. Last updated: 2026-10-06. https://disputeindex.com/events/4756-o-leary-called-the-reported-assignment-of-fbi