FBI Director Kash Patel’s girlfriend Alexis Wilkins filed a $5 million defamation lawsuit against conservative podcaster Elijah Schaffer on Oct. 28, 2025.
The lawsuit alleges that Schaffer’s social media post falsely implies she is an Israeli spy.
Wilkins filed the suit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida under case number 9:25-cv-81334-DMM. The complaint claims Schaffer exploited Wilkins’ relationship with Patel to generate online engagement.
The lawsuit seeks “compensatory, special and punitive damages in the sum of $5,000,000 or such greater amount as is determined by the jury.”
The lawsuit centers on a wordless retweet posted by Schaffer. On Sept. 14, 2025, X user Hen Mazzig posted content detailing Mossad’s use of female agents against Iran, noting they “seduced high-ranking enemy officials.”
Schaffer retweeted the content without a caption and attached an Instagram photo of Wilkins arm-in-arm with Patel at a formal event.
The complaint states, “While Defendant may not have included any caption to spell out the meaning of his post, he didn’t have to.”
The lawsuit argues the juxtaposition accused Wilkins of seducing Patel to compromise U.S. security amid circulating online rumors of Wilkins as a “honeypot” operative.
The suit claims the post exposed her to harassment and threats.
The complaint alleges Schaffer’s actions stemmed from his criticism of Israeli influence in U.S. policy and disdain for Patel, demonstrating “actual malice.” To succeed, Wilkins must prove under the Supreme Court’s 1964 New York Times Co. v. Sullivan standard that Schaffer knew his implications were false or acted with reckless disregard for the truth.
Florida courts protect online speech, including retweets, as sharing rather than endorsement.
A motion to dismiss may test these boundaries early, Rift News, Schaffer’s media brand, reported.
The outlet further noted that in August 2025, Wilkins sued former FBI agent Kyle Seraphin for $5 million in Austin federal court. The lawsuit alleges his Aug. 22 podcast episode referenced an unnamed woman matching her description as a “former Mossad agent” in a “honeypot” scheme targeting Patel.
Seraphin called it satire based on rumors and has moved to dismiss, citing his 2023 meeting with the couple. A December hearing is scheduled.
Resist the Mainstream previously reported that Patel faces separate scrutiny over travel. Flight logs show the FBI’s Gulfstream V jet (N708JH), valued at $60 million, flew him from Washington to Pennsylvania on Oct. 24, 2025.
The trip preceded Wilkins’ national anthem performance at a Real American Freestyle wrestling event at Penn State University the next day.
The jet returned to Washington that evening during a partial government shutdown that furloughed workers.
Logs revealed additional trips to Nashville for Wilkins’ Nov. 3 birthday and Florida for a Trump Halloween event.
Patel responded on X on Nov. 2, 2025: “The disgustingly baseless attacks against Alexis — a true patriot and the woman I’m proud to call my partner in life — are beyond pathetic.”
