FBI Director Deletes Tweet About Arrest of Wisconsin Judge but It’s Unclear Why

Kash Patel, a far-right extremist and conspiracy theorist who conscionable truthful happens to beryllium the manager of the FBI, tweeted Friday astir the apprehension of a justice successful Wisconsin who helium alleges tried to obstruct U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). But it wasn’t agelong earlier Patel deleted the tweet. Two hours later, Patel retweeted the nonstop aforesaid thing, and it’s unclear wherefore helium would delete the archetypal tweet.

“Just NOW, the FBI arrested Judge Hannah Dugan retired of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, connected charges of obstruction—after grounds of Judge Dugan obstructing an migration apprehension cognition past week,” Patel wrote successful his tweet from 10:11 a.m. ET.

“We judge Judge Dugan intentionally misdirected national agents distant from the taxable to beryllium arrested successful her courthouse, Eduardo Flores Ruiz, allowing the subject—an amerciable alien—to evade arrest,” Patel continued.

Patel went connected to write, “thankfully our agents chased down the perp connected foot,” describing the country similar he’s successful a cheesy 1980s bull show, and insisting that, “the Judge’s obstruction created accrued information to the public.”  Patel ended his tweet by saying that helium volition “have much to stock soon” and tagging the X relationship for the FBI successful Milwaukee.

Anyone trying to sojourn the tweet’s archetypal URL present sees a leafage that reads, “Hmm…this leafage doesn’t exist. Try searching for thing else.” Patel’s caller mentation of the tweet appears to person identical wording, truthful it’s a implicit enigma wherefore helium deleted it. The U.S. Department of Justice didn’t instantly respond to questions astir Patel’s tweet emailed Friday.

ICE agents reportedly arrived astatine the Milwaukee County Courthouse connected April 18 to apprehension a Mexican national successful Judge Hannah Dugan’s courtroom, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. The paper says Dugan directed the ICE agents to the main justice’s bureau and the idiosyncratic ICE was trying to apprehension near done a broadside door. The Journal-Sentinel spoke with 5 experts who each had antithetic opinions connected Dugan’s alleged conduct, but nary thought she should beryllium charged with a crime.

The U.S. Marshals Service confirmed connected Friday that Dugan was arrested astir 8:30 a.m. section clip (9:30 a.m. ET) connected courthouse property. Dugan appeared earlier U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephen C. Dries and has been charged with 2 felonies, obstruction and concealing an individual, according to the Journal-Sentinel.

Dugan made nary remark during the hearing, but her lawyer reportedly said, “Judge Dugan wholeheartedly regrets and protests her arrest. It was not made successful the involvement of nationalist safety.” A erstwhile national authoritative successful Milwaukee, Franklyn Gimbel, who spoke with the Journal-Sentinel, called her apprehension “outrageous,” and noted that the FBI could person simply invited her to amusement up and surrender herself. But theatrics are evidently a large woody for the precise media-conscious Trump regime.

A since-deleted tweet sent by Kash Patel connected April 25, 2025 astir the apprehension of a Wisconsin judge. Screenshot: X

Dugan, 65, got her bachelor’s grade astatine the University of Wisconsin-Madison successful 1981 and earned her JD successful 1987, according to the Associated Press. She was elected to the region court, Branch 31, successful 2016 and worked astatine Legal Action of Wisconsin and the Legal Aid earlier that.

President Donald Trump prosecuted a national justice successful Massachusetts successful a similar case brought successful 2019, but that lawsuit was dropped successful 2022 during the Biden administration. Trump has made it wide that he’s going to spell aft judges arsenic a mode to enforce his peculiar marque of fascism connected the United States. And his billionaire buddy Elon Musk, the caput of DOGE, has repeatedly called for the persecution of judges. Musk tweeted astir the lawsuit Friday, writing, “More judicial corruption.”

Kash Patel was confirmed arsenic FBI manager successful precocious February successful a ballot of 51-49, with each Democratic legislator and 2 Republicans, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, voting no. Patel was a committee subordinate for Trump Media, the institution that owns Donald Trump’s Truth Social, earlier resigning that relation to instrumentality his occupation astatine the FBI and has made astatine slightest $2.6 cardinal from consulting and media deals, according to ABC News. Patel besides wrote an perfectly unhinged children’s publication depicting Donald Trump arsenic a king, titled The Plot Against the King.

The FBI manager has repeatedly embraced the QAnon conspiracy theory, published a database of alleged heavy authorities officials to target, and has promised to “come after” the media. And yet galore of Patel’s supporters connected societal media person been frustrated by perceptions that the FBI manager has been dilatory to enact retribution against perceived enemies. We’ll spot if that changes present that Patel is doing his champion to usher successful the “arrest judges” signifier of fascism.