(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Kash Patel, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for FBI director, has threatened legal action against Olivia Troye, an MSNBC contributor and former aide to Vice President Mike Pence, over “defamatory statements” she made on Dec. 2.
Patel’s attorneys sent Troye a letter demanding a prompt and public apology, in addition to ordering her to “identify and preserve” all physical and electronic documents related to Patel and her remarks during an MSNBC segment earlier this week.
The letter responded to Troye’s unsubstantiated claim that, during Trump’s first term, Patel lied to Pence about intelligence and operations, allegedly putting “the lives of Navy Seals at risk” during a Trump-era mission in Nigeria.
The claims, which SpyTalk claimed originated in the book Only I Can Fix It by journalists Carol Leoning and Philip Rucker, alleged Patel mistakenly stated that Nigeria had cleared its airspace for a U.S. military operation to rescue an American hostage.
“This is a complete fabrication, and you know it is false by virtue of your former position in the White House,” Patel’s attorney Jesse R. Binnall wrote, addressing Troye’s repetition of the book’s allegations. “At no point did Mr. Patel ever lie about national intelligence, place Navy Seals at risk, or misinform the Vice President.”
Binnall further added, “Not only did you have actual knowledge of the falsity of this smear, but you also did so with the malicious intent of degrading his character and of cynical self-promotion.”
New: @Kash_Patel demands former Mike Pence advisor Olivia Troye “retract defamatory statements” made about the FBI director pick on MSNBC pic.twitter.com/i9KcRTglye
— Gabe Kaminsky (@gekaminsky) December 4, 2024
The letter demanded Troye publicly retract her statements on her X page within five days or “Mr. Patel will take swift legal action to uphold his rights and reputation.” It also instructed her to preserve documents related to Patel, including communications on social media and messaging platforms such as Facebook, Signal, WhatsApp and Telegram.
The preservation request also extends to audiovisual recordings, voicemails, drafts, notes and any other relevant materials.
Troye defied the letter via X, claiming she stood by her statements: “Today, Kash Patel sent a letter to my counsel @MarkSZaidEsq – threatening legal action & demanding that I retract my comments on MSNBC about his unfitness to serve as FBI Director.”
She added, “This aligns with his threats against the media & political opponents, revealing how he might conduct himself if confirmed in the role. I stand by my statements—my priority remains the safety & security of the American people. I am not the only one who has expressed concerns about him. So why me? And so it begins.”
Today, Kash Patel sent a letter to my counsel @MarkSZaidEsq– threatening legal action & demanding that I retract my comments on MSNBC about his unfitness to serve as FBI Director. This aligns with his threats against the media & political opponents, revealing how he might conduct… pic.twitter.com/BJU90haUhO
— Olivia of Troye (@OliviaTroye) December 4, 2024
Last week, Trump nominated Patel to serve as FBI director during his second term, a position that requires confirmation by the Republican-led Senate.
This is Kash Patel, Trump's nominee for FBI Director. The Deep State is f*cked. pic.twitter.com/cejy7hhioP
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) December 1, 2024
