The FBI has been forced to surrender in the fight to hide the “Trans Killer Manifesto” from the American public, settling a lawsuit with The Tennessee Star and paying over $86,000 in legal fees after withholding crucial information about the Covenant School shooter’s writings.
Key Takeaways
- The Tennessee Star successfully settled its lawsuit against the FBI, forcing the release of 120 pages of transgender shooter Audrey Elizabeth Hale’s writings from the Covenant School massacre
- The FBI agreed to pay over $86,000 in legal fees to the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL), which represented The Star in the FOIA lawsuit
- Settlement negotiations began after FBI Director Kash Patel took over, following The Star’s direct invitation to settle the case
- Representative John Rose, who reviewed the full writings, suggested information was “shielded from public view because this shooter considered herself to be transgender.”
- The victory represents a significant win for government transparency and journalistic freedom under the Trump administration
Victory for Government Transparency
In a significant win for press freedom and public access to information, The Tennessee Star has successfully settled its lawsuit against the FBI regarding the release of the manifesto written by Covenant School shooter Audrey Elizabeth Hale. The settlement comes after the FBI finally released 120 pages of Hale’s writings to Judicial Watch, materials that had been kept from the public despite multiple Freedom of Information Act requests. The legal battle, which began during the Biden administration, has now concluded with the FBI releasing the documents and agreeing to pay more than $86,000 in legal fees to the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL), which represented The Star.
“A win for government transparency and efforts by real journalists to keep their government open and accountable,” said Dan Lennington, Deputy Counsel at WILL.
The Manifesto Battle
The controversy began after Hale, who identified as male despite being born female, killed six people at the Nashville Christian school in March 2023 before being killed by police. The Tennessee Star had previously published Hale’s full 2023 journal, which constituted only about 15% of her total writings. The FBI initially refused to release the complete manifesto, raising questions about what the government was attempting to hide from the American public. Their stated reasoning—that releasing documents might explain crimes and inflame conspiracy theories—struck many as a transparent excuse to withhold potentially politically inconvenient information.
“Like many of you, I have long suspected some of this information was shielded from public view because this shooter considered herself to be transgender,” said U.S. Representative John Rose, who reviewed the full writings and criticized the withholding of information.
Political Shift Enables Settlement
The resolution of this case demonstrates the impact of the change in administration. The Tennessee Star had previously invited the FBI to settle the lawsuit following President Trump’s nomination of Kash Patel as FBI director. It appears this leadership change was instrumental in breaking the deadlock and allowing for a settlement that promotes transparency rather than continuing the Biden-era policy of concealment. Settlement negotiations began shortly after Director Patel took office, signaling a new approach to government accountability and the public’s right to know, particularly in cases with significant public interest.
“Journalists everywhere should be willing to go to the mat to hold their government accountable, regardless of the story or who is in charge at the nation’s capital,” emphasized Michael Patrick, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of The Star News Network.
Implications for Government Accountability
This settlement represents a clear victory for those who believe in holding government institutions accountable. The initial refusal to release the documents raised serious questions about whether political considerations—specifically related to the shooter’s transgender identity—influenced the decision to withhold information from the public. The six innocent victims of this tragedy and their families deserve complete transparency about the motivations behind this heinous act. The FBI’s payment of substantial legal fees further underscores the impropriety of their initial refusal and validates the importance of pursuing legal remedies when government agencies attempt to shield information from proper public scrutiny.
