Kash Patel:
Just like any other case, when we say, “Hey, there was an attack in downtown Seattle. Does the public have information? We, the FBI, are looking to the public for information on these events.” We immediately opened up that investigation because that sort of signal chat being coordinated with individuals, not just locally in Minnesota, but maybe even around the country.
If that leads to a break in the federal statute or a violation of some law, then we are going to arrest people. You cannot create a scenario that illegally entraps and puts law enforcement in harm’s way.
Now we will balance the First and Second Amendment constantly, but we have to let the community know that we will not tolerate acts of violence, and an escalation, and a violation of the federal code. There has to be a break point, and you see it broken in Minneapolis time and time again.