NYT: Kent Inquiry Alarmed the FBI Director
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A mobile screenshot of a New York Times article, with the first paragraph highlighted in bright yellow. The Times masthead T and the share, gift, and bookmark icons are visible at the top.
The highlighted paragraph reads that the inquiry by Joe Kent, the director of the counterterrorism center, alarmed Kash Patel, the director of the F.B.I., and that Mr. Patel and other senior officials believed Mr. Kent was overstepping, treading on F.B.I. responsibilities and potentially interfering with the investigation and the prosecution of the suspect, Tyler Robinson. The following paragraph reports that supporters of Mr. Kent say he was doing his job, running down leads and making sure no foreign or domestic groups were linked to Mr. Kirk's death, and notes that Robinson, 22, has been charged by Utah prosecutors with seven counts including felony aggravated murder.
This is the single most-cited document in the argument that the federal investigation was narrowed rather than widened. Kent runs the National Counterterrorism Center, which reports to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and then to the President, so the reporting describes an intelligence-side inquiry into possible foreign links being treated as an intrusion by the bureau running the domestic prosecution. Both readings appear in the reporting itself and neither has been adjudicated. The full thread is at Joe Kent Halt, Foreign Leads, and White House Halt of the IC.
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