FBI Director Kash Patel speaks during U.S. President Donald Trump's property league astir deploying national instrumentality enforcement agents successful Washington to bolster the section constabulary presence, successful the Press Briefing Room astatine the White House, successful Washington D.C., U.S., August 11, 2025.
Annabelle Gordon | Reuters
FBI Director Kash Patel and his instauration won a default judgment successful their defamation lawsuit against a blogger who publically accused Patel of being a "Kremlin asset," of trying to overthrow the U.S. government, and of readying the Jan. 6, 2021, attack connected the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump.
Patel and the Kash Foundation were awarded a full of $250,000 successful compensatory and punitive damages against the Substack blogger and podcaster Jim Stewartson successful an bid connected Aug. 5 by Judge Andrew Gordon successful U.S. District Court successful Las Vegas.
The bid was first reported by the online quality tract Court Watch.
Gordon issued the default judgement favour of the longtime Trump loyalist Patel aft Stewartson did not respond successful tribunal filings to the lawsuit, which cited a bid of societal media posts and different comments by Stewartson.
Patel had sought $10 cardinal successful damages connected claims of defamation, injurious falsehood and concern disparagement.
The justice said punitive damages were warranted successful the lawsuit "in portion to deter Stewartson and others from engaging successful defamation."
"Factual disapproval of, and opinions about, nationalist figures are protected code and indispensable beryllium tolerated," Gordon wrote. "But defamatory falsehoods made with existent malice are not protected, adjacent if directed astatine nationalist officials.
"The ailment and the question adequately show Stewartson acted with malice."
Stewartson told CNBC successful a substance connection connected Friday, "I was ne'er served with this lawsuit. I conscionable recovered retired astir the judgement from trolls connected Twitter past week."
He said that Patel's lawsuit, and different pending defamation ailment against him by erstwhile Trump nationalist information advisor Michael Flynn successful Florida authorities court, are "intended to intimidate maine due to the fact that I person been accurately and diligently reporting connected Patel and Flynn's engagement successful the QAnon question and their information connected January 6th for 5 years."
"It is simply a preposterous, frivolous suit and neither of them volition person a dime," Stewartson said. "In fact, I mean to prosecute my ain lawsuit against them for their years-long run of maltreatment of maine and the ineligible system."
The FBI said that Patel would person nary remark connected the decision. CNBC has requested remark from his lawyers.
Patel's attorneys said successful a tribunal filing successful March that aft filing the suit successful June 2023, Stewartson for months "dodged" accepting work of the complaint, which, arsenic a rule, is required for a civilian lawsuit to proceed.
The attorneys said they yet completed work of the suit successful precocious October 2023, erstwhile a idiosyncratic astatine Stewartson's location successful California accepted a transcript of the complaint.
Gordon wrote successful his bid that helium "found bully origin to grant" a petition for the default from Patel's lawyers.
But Gordon besides said that the question by Patel's lawyers "offers scant grounds of harm oregon damages to either plaintiff."
FBI Director Kash Patel testifies during the Senate Select Intelligence Committee proceeding connected "Worldwide Threats" successful the Hart Senate Office Building connected Tuesday, March 25, 2025.
Bill Clark | Cq-roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images
He noted that an expert's study "states that Mr. Patel's 'image has been profoundly wounded by the defamation accusing him of moving against the government, corruption, and crime. Apart from the concern already lost, this impacts aboriginal opportunities and relationships.'"
"But the study offers nary examples of 'business already lost' and however Mr. Patel's representation was wounded by the defamatory statements themselves, arsenic opposed to the myriad non-defamatory attacks Mr. Patel has suffered arsenic a effect of being a nationalist figure," Gordon wrote.
"To the contrary, aft the defamatory statements, Mr. Patel was confirmed by the United States Senate arsenic Director of the F.B.I." the justice wrote.
"Clearly his estimation was not importantly sullied by the defamatory statements."
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Gordon said determination was "almost nary factual grounds of harm oregon damages suffered by" Patel's foundation.
"All of the defamatory statements were directed astatine Mr. Patel individually," the justice noted.
But Gordon said that some compensatory and punitive damages were warranted successful the case.
"Stewartson's statements were defamatory and caused presumed damages," the justice wrote.
"Falsely stating arsenic information that a nationalist fig 'attempted to overthrow the government,' planned the January 6 insurrection, was a 'Kremlin asset,' and paid radical to 'lie to [C]ongress' ... inflicts existent injuries, personally and professionally," the justice wrote.
The justice awarded Patel $100,000 successful compensatory damages and the aforesaid magnitude successful punitive damages.
He awarded the instauration $25,000 successful compensatory damages, and the aforesaid magnitude successful punitive damages aft accepting arsenic a tenable estimation a assertion that astatine slightest 7 donors had stopped giving to the group.
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