Supports· strongKRK-E046
Kent, on the record: 'We were then told... you can't work on this anymore'
- what the source states
- Kent: "We were then told that, 'Hey, you guys need to stop. You can't work on this anymore.'" And: "There was more work for us to do on the potential of a foreign nexus... and we were blocked from doing that." Asked whether the order came from FBI Director Patel: "It did. Yeah, it was part of a discussion that he and I had back and forth, and then, ultimately, that was the decision that was made." On the FBI's stated reason: "they would say, 'Hey, you can't look into the case anymore because if you do, you could be called by the defense.'"
- what we infer
- The statements' occurrence is established; their accuracy is one side's account. Note the FBI's stated rationale, as relayed by Kent himself, is a standard trial-protection concern.
- limitations
- No FBI confirmation; contemporaneous reporting notes Kent was himself under investigation regarding leaked material.