On Friday night, FBI Director Kash Patel shared a photo on X of Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan, arrested for allegedly obstructing immigration agents. The image, showing Dugan handcuffed and escorted by three law enforcement officers in a perp walk, obscured her face. Patel captioned it, “No one is above the law.”
The Justice Department’s Confidentiality and Media Contacts Policy states that DOJ personnel should not share a defendant’s photo unless it serves a law enforcement purpose or is already public in the case. Former Attorney General Eric Holder, who established this policy under the Obama administration to limit media access to defendant photos like mug shots, told CNN that Patel’s post violates it.
“They’re trying to maximize intimidation,” Holder said, regardless of Dugan’s actions.
It’s unclear if Attorney General Pam Bondi has altered the DOJ’s policy on sharing defendant photos following Patel’s post. Dugan’s attorney, Craig Mastantuono, told CNN the post marks “a clear departure” from policy, emphasizing that Dugan posed no public safety threat and wasn’t given a chance to present her side. “The arrest itself is the point,” he said.
Dugan was arrested Friday by the FBI, facing charges of obstruction and concealing an individual from arrest. She appeared in court that day and was released after the hearing.
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